Two Sides to Every Story
by eonentity
Summary: Amber's plan has just been foiled, and Yellow is safe again. But why would Red's twin brother suddenly turn on everyone? This question soon arises for Blue, and she becomes determined to find the answer. Will Green be able to protect her before she goes too far? The Second Chapter of the Old Grudge Series and sequel to It Just Takes One.
1. Prologue & Chapter One: Hide and Seek

Me: A-A-ACHOOOO!

Gardevoir: Ugh. *throws away tissue* This is so nasty.

Me: I'm so sorry my readers. *cough* I appear to have a very bad cold at the moment.

Gardevoir: Bad? This is horrible! You're a mess!

Me: *narrows eyes* I know. This is the worst way to start out a new story, but I was determined to post this new chapter for you guys!

Gardevoir: Yeah, yeah. Here's some soup.

Me: *takes bowl* Yay! *sneeze*

Gardevoir: *sigh* I'm gonna be busy for a while. **Disclaimer: Eon doesn't own Pokemon in any way. Just her OC's and the plot of this story.**

**_Warning:_ If you have not read Eon's story It Just Takes One, then this one will probably not make any sense whatsoever. I recommend reading it before starting this chapter.**

* * *

Prologue

"Have they arrived yet?"

"Yes, sir," replied a young woman from her seat in front of a large monitor showing camera images of many different rooms in the building.

The dark man tapped his finger on the arm of his chair. "Did they retrieve the girl?"

She nodded her head slowly, unsure of how her master would react.

Instead of becoming a fuming mess, he simply remained silent, placing a hand beneath his chin. "I'd have preferred that we had her early so preparations for Phase One could begin…but I suppose we have enough time to try again." He looked up at his assistant. "What exactly prevented the success of her capture?"

The woman's hand moved the mouse icon across the computer screen toward the video folder where she opened one of the many files. This certain one from earlier this morning around midnight, the picture began moving, showing the inside of a helicopter as the camera's owner moved along. The image changed to a separate room where the cargo hatch was open, revealing a diminishing figure falling through the trees far behind.

The dark man had her pause on the frame, and he took a closer look, recognizing the shining red hair that flowed behind a boy in black.

"Is that the one that infiltrated our ranks last week?"

"Yes, sir. Unfortunately, we have no knowledge of his current location."

The man ran a hand through his spiked hair. "We'll have to solve that first. I'll send in the field agents. Those two have been doing quite well. At least the girl has. The boy…" He chuckled a little. "Well, I assume you know the reason for his reluctance."

The woman nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Why don't we check in on them?" He suggested. "Where are they at the moment?"

Her fingers started flying over the keyboard as she raced through the security cameras and mission info. "If I had to guess, he's most likely sticking to his end of the bargain."

"Wouldn't surprise me," he said softly. "I'd do the same thing in his shoes."

The dark man was quiet as the woman continued looking for the correct security image. He certainly didn't enjoy harming the boy's Pokemon as they currently were, but there was no other way to get her to use her powers without force. Besides, she was a stubborn Pyschic type and could easily get on his nerves with her audacious nature.

"Here they are, sir."

He turned back to the monitor, watching as the camera connected to the power lab appeared. And along with it, two people making their way down its hallways.

* * *

"How much longer?"

A white-blonde haired girl huffed in slight annoyance as a number padded steel door came up ahead. "You can stop the pestering. We're here."

The black-haired boy only gave her a grim frown, waiting for her to slide a black card through the slot and punch in the password to head inside. The entire area was made of tall glass walls and large control panels that were currently unoccupied. The same could be said for the clear laboratory rooms except for one, which the boy immediately dashed for.

The door opened quickly, and his silver and black shoes clacked on the ground as he rushed to the single bed set against the wall, various machines that blinked and made beeping noises surrounding it. And connected to those machines was a single Gardevoir, its flowing white body and blue arms sprawled all around.

The boy sucked in a breath and stopped beside the bed, right near the Pokemon's weak head. The entire being was emitting an exhausted aura, its blue hair slightly disheveled and white cheeks beginning to sink in. He knelt down, bringing himself face to face with its closed eyes that were the same amber color as his own.

"What did they do to her?" He asked tautly to the girl behind him. She'd been leaning on the wall watching him the entire time and remained still at his question. "What happened to Samantha?"

The girl shrugged with a frown on her face. "What they said they'd do. This is just the effects of it."

"They never told me it would be this bad!" He shouted. "Only if I didn't comply which I've done nothing but!"

"Believe me, I know," she said softly. The tone made him turn to find her standing behind him.

"_Am…"_

The boy whipped around at the faint sound in his head. He'd know that voice anywhere.

"Sam?"

There was a small mental cough that only he could hear as the Gardevoir slowly blinked open her eyes. Their bright color caught the light from the fluorescent bulbs overhead before closing again.

_"…yeah, it's me. Been awhile hasn't it?"_

He almost laughed at her usual impudence although she was right. He hadn't seen her in person like this for a long while. "Even stripped to your core, you don't change."

"_Somebody's gotta keep the fight going. But don't worry. I'll never succumb to those imbociles."_

This time the boy did chuckle. The Gardevoir smiled weakly before noticing the girl standing behind him. She winced from her sore muscles as she got to her elbows on the small bed. Turning her gaze to the blonde, she projected her thoughts out loud so that the girl could also hear them.

_"…t-thank you."_

The boy looked at the Pokemon in shock as did the girl though for different reasons. She came up beside the boy, her deep blue eyes wide. "You can talk?"

The Gardevoir's mental laugh could be heard by all. _"Of course. Why else do you think the scientists go to bed with bleeding ears?"_

This earned a soft snicker from the girl, but the boy rounded on both of them. "What's going on?! Sam!" He turned to the Gardevoir. "Why are you thanking her?! Don't you know who this is?! She's the one that brought us here in the first place!"

She only shook her blue-haired head. "_Am…there's so much you don't know…"_

The boy's eyes widened in alarm as the Pokemon suddenly gave a soft sigh and fell back down unconscious. The machines around her began whirring, and the girl pulled the boy away much to his despair.

"Time's up," she said quietly.

Soon she'd brought him back out into the hallway, the number pad automatically locking behind them. The girl started walking down the dark passage, but the boy jerked her back around.

"Melany! Tell me. Now! What have you done to Samantha?! You must have brainwashed her or something! She'd never thank you!" He growled slightly. "Not after what you did to us."

The pixie-cut blonde sighed and leaned against the wall. "You have no idea what I've been doing _for_ her, Amber. _I'm_ the reason she's on a comfortable bed now instead of that dreadful white lab table." She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice after a look at one of the security cameras perched on the wall. "It's because of _me_ that she's not worse off than how she is now."

He stood there, shell-shocked at her statement. What could she possibly be doing to _help _Sam? All she'd brought her so far was pain and misery.

The girl pushed off the smooth wall and placed a hand on her hip. "There's so much you don't know."

He stared after her as she stalked down the hall. She hadn't heard Sam say it in his mind, but the girl had repeated her exact words. The fact that the Gardevoir had said the same thing only confused him more, and he shook his head before going after the girl, his face set as he went to find out his next mission.

Chapter One: Blue

Saffron was actually a really pretty place at night. The bright lights and faint stars gave the city a warm glowing halo. And it was thanks to that alluring glow that no one saw us stealthily creeping along the shadows. But by the off chance that somebody actually caught a glimpse of our little group, that person would probably go home making sure they hadn't had too much to drink.

Then again, it wasn't every day you saw a Cheshire, Latios, Latias, and lab assistant following a tense-looking boy down the street at four in the morning.

"How much farther, Red?" I asked quietly, watching our backside to make sure no one was coming after us.

"I'm not sure," came his tight voice from ahead. "But Silver said it was around here."

I nodded. Soon, the spikey-haired boy had led the five of us to the front of a small hotel, our faces illuminated by the light of the city for a moment as we entered. There weren't too many people in the lobby, save for the receptionist and a single maid here or there, and that helped keep us from attracting attention.

In a few minutes, we were heading to the top floor in the elevator, Black and White watching each other hopelessly since they had no idea what was going on, and me standing there watching Green who was watching Red who was watching the door with stressed eyes. He was probably afraid that they'd caught up with Silver, but I wasn't worried in the least. I had faith in my boy.

As soon as the elevator had opened far enough, Red shot through them like a bullet, leaving the rest of us to jog behind him. Coming up to his side, I tried to catch his eyes, but he wouldn't allow it.

"Red, calm down," I sighed. "She's perfectly fine."

"You don't know that," he muttered lowly, quite unusual compared to his normally lively behavior. But he hadn't exactly been himself very often the past few weeks so maybe it wasn't all that strange. "He could've been ambushed and fled here as fast as he could."

"Red!" His gait paused almost imperceptibly in shock at my harsh tone. "Enough!"

It had taken a large portion of our flight here for me to convince myself that everything was okay, and I was not about to let him drag me back into a sea of anxiety again. He looked at me a moment before nodding his head softly and continuing to search for the right room number. I let myself fall back a bit until I was next to Green.

"Still sane?" He asked doubtfully.

I scoffed a little. "Still _in_sane. I wish he'd stop worrying already."

Green shrugged as we rounded a corner. "You can't exactly blame him, though. Right now, it's hard to tell if she might have been—"

"Stop!"

He gave me a concerned look before realizing he was doing it and turning away—a bit sharply I might add. I was starting to get that empty feeling in my stomach again and forcefully shook it away. She'd be here. My Yellow _would_ be here. I'd almost lost her once right after her very first commercial shooting. I wasn't going to allow that to happen again.

"Um…?"

Both Green and I glanced behind to see White nervously holding up a hand beside Black.

"Could you tell us why we're in a hotel at this hour?" Black asked us. "White and I are really confused."

I saw Red finally stop at a door and knock on it. "You'll find out soon enough."

There was a moment of silence before the door was slowly opened, and a wary Silver dressed in his black ninja suit appeared. Once he saw it was only us, he relaxed and stepped out of the doorway. Red immediately rushed in, and the rest of us followed, albeit more calmly.

There was a small front hallway that led to a main area with two rooms that branched off. Silver followed after us as we paused in the living room and looked around, or in Red's case, frantically searching with only his eyes.

"Where is she?" His voice sounded taut and fearful, and every single one of us glanced at the nerve-wracked boy.

Without a word, Silver pushed past us towards the curtains on the far wall. Sticking his head behind them a moment, he parted the cloth to reveal a window seat already occupied by a certain blonde-haired Greek goddess.

She was propped up on a pillow, the rest of her body spread out on the cushion. There was another set of curtains behind her covering the windows so that no one outside could look in and see her there. And with the other curtains blocking any view of her from the front door, it was a great place to put her without having to hide her in one of the bedrooms.

Red beat us all there, kneeling down next to her and grabbing her hand. His fingers sought out a pulse, and he sighed in relief when he found one.

Silver sweat dropped. "Did you seriously think she was dead?"

Red glared at the redhead. "You know, I haven't been sure of what's happened to her for the past four hours. So, yes. Yes, I did."

The younger boy's eyes widened as his senior turned back to the girl. I skipped up beside him and touched his arm, pulling him away from dark-haired teen. "Don't mind him right now, Silver. He's been like that for a while now."

He only nodded. Green and the two Unova natives found seats on the couch and chair in the living room, and Silver and I settled down on the floor.

"Okay, now would somebody care to tell us what's going on?" Black questioned a little irritated with a slight frown.

"Why not start at the beginning?" Silver suggested harshly.

Black and White eyed him cautiously, and I began. "See, none of us even knew about Amber until he suddenly showed up on the night of the Reunion." I flashed back to the first time Yellow had almost been kidnapped, and we'd met him at Pokemon Center. I'd been quite shocked to learn that Red had a twin brother, and I think everyone else had been thinking the same thing.

"And without reason," Green muttered. "I don't know why none of us saw it."

"Saw what?" Black asked quickly.

Silver crossed his arms. "Last night while the lunar eclipse was going on, Amber attempted to kidnap Yellow and make off in a helicopter with Melany."

White's gasp was loud enough for us all to hear. She and her employee stared ahead in disbelief.

"He was good," I murmured darkly. "Slowly weaving himself into our lives until it was like he'd always been there."

"Guys, I don't think it was like that at all," White suddenly said nervously. We all looked at her in surprise which only made the girl shift on the couch uncomfortably in her Latias costume. She shook her head. "Look. By now, I should be able to tell when someone is acting or not."

"And you think he wasn't," Black concluded for her.

The dark brunette nodded. "He was only being himself the entire time."

"But that doesn't make sense," I said, putting a finger beneath my chin. "There's no way that nice boy could be the real him. Criminals just aren't like that!"

"Maybe he's not really a criminal," Green said softly from his position above me. I glanced up at him and met his forest green eyes. They were swimming with thought, and I knew it well enough to know that he had a theory.

Before I could open my mouth to ask, the look was gone, and Silver started talking again.

"From what I can tell, he certainly is one," he muttered. I watched in surprise as the redhead suddenly paused, and his face screwed up in light confusion and doubt at his words as something ran through his mind.

"He made up a crafty plan to use the lunar eclipse as a distraction and almost got away with Yellow," Black said angrily. "That seems proof enough to me."

White still looked unsure. "I don't know…"

The five of us sat in silence as she trailed off.

"…so what happens now?" Black asked, releasing the question that had been on all our minds.

"I think we should hide out for a little bit," Silver told everyone. "Let things blow over and get them off our trail."

I shook my head at him. "That sounds good. It'll give us a chance to wrap our minds around this and try to make sense of it."

The others nodded before we all gave a giant yawn in unison. White started chuckling as soon as her mouth clamped shut. "Maybe it's time we got some sleep. Sunrise will be coming here soon."

"Agreed," I cheered wearily. Glancing at the girl, I saw that in only a few seconds, the opposite gender had already fallen asleep on her shoulder, and she was close behind with fluttering eyes. I giggled at their adorable Eon twin forms as I stood up with the other two boys. Cracking my back, I checked on Red and saw that he was also out, his hand still on Yellow's as the two slept.

I turned back to Green and Silver who were eyeing the other rooms in hesitation. Looking back at the already asleep Black and White, an idea came to mind, and I smiled slyly before pulling the only two still awake behind me as I headed for the larger room. They both stared at me in surprise, and I winked.

"They'll need somewhere to sleep when they wake back up," I reminded them. "We'll leave the other room open for those two."

They both sighed in annoyance, catching onto my little plan. Neither of them tried to argue with me though and just went along with it, passing through the doorway to the other room. I went after them, and we stood there looking at the single bed. Seeing our confused faces, I decided to make this easy and grinned in a way that went perfectly with my costume.

I strolled over to towards the small window seat that was in this room and sat down shrewdly. "You guys can have the bed."

Their eyes bugged out of their heads. "Huh?" Green asked unbelievably.

"Yeah," I told him cheerfully. "It'll give you both a chance to have some bonding time." I clapped my hands. "Doesn't that sound great?"

Green quickly dropped to the floor, and Silver dashed for the window seat, pushing me off and lying down.

"Good night!" The two of them said quickly.

I giggled quietly, throwing them each a blanket from the foot of the bed and settling down on it. _Too easy. _Snuggling under the covers in content, I let my sleepy eyes close and relaxed into the pillow. They popped open in a second however as my familiar feeling of suspicion kicked back in at the reminder of that look in Green's eyes a few minutes ago.

As quiet as I could, I rolled over the bed and moved onto the floor where Green was lying, his back to me as I snuck up on him. I was right at the edge of his blanket when he suddenly rolled over and glared at me with narrowed eyes.

I chuckled nervously, caught red-handed. "Eheh…"

He sighed. "What is it Blue?"

I dropped to my stomach so we were at eye level and whispered, "I saw that look earlier. You've got an idea about Amber don't you?"

His face perked in surprise before smoothing over again. "That's why we're chattering like Pidgeys instead of sleeping?"

"Come on," I pouted quietly, trying not to disturb Silver on the other side of the room. "I want to know!"

"Can't this wait until morning?" he grumbled irritated.

"Just tell me!"

He rolled his eyes and tried to sound like me. "You're right, Green. This _can_ wait until morning."

I crossed my arms. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what it was you were thinking."

He shrugged. "Fine by me. Have a nice sleep."

Rolling over, his back was to me again, and I laid there glowering at it. I wasn't moving until he flipped back around and talked to me. As the minutes went by though and he stayed motionless, my eyes gradually began to close, and I shivered slightly on the cold of the floor. Refusing to go back to the bed, I continued to lay there until I actually did fall asleep and drifted off to dreamland.

I woke up sometime later, shifting lightly and blinking rapidly against the bright sunlight coming in through the window. When I could finally see, I stifled a gasp at what met my eyes. I was covered in Green's blanket, said boy's nose only a few inches from mine. He was breathing softly, and I smiled to myself at the gentle look on his sleeping face.

Not caring what time it was, I moved closer, the warmth radiating from him washing over me. Closing my eyes to go back to sleep, I gently leaned forward until our foreheads were touching. The sudden motion caused him to jolt awake, and I did my best to feign unconsciousness. I could sense the alarm from him and held in the laugh that attempted to escape from my lips.

Waiting for him to scoot away and resume napping, I was quite surprised when he let out a breath and placed his head back in the same spot. Snapping my eyes open, I found him watching me intently with his deep green ones and smiled.

"Greeny loves me."

Not realizing that I'd been awake, he flew away from me, slamming into the wall as I started laughing. I was still chuckling from the ground as the boy got to his feet grumbling with rosy cheeks.

"Could have told me you were up," he muttered, swiping the blanket from my legs and beginning to fold it.

Standing up, I took the other side and helped him. When we came together with the ends of the material, I smirked at him only to be met with his signature glare. "It's not as fun that way."

He just rolled his eyes and set the blanket back on the bed as Silver began to stir. The redhead slowly came to, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. "What time is it?"

Green grabbed his Pokegear that he'd set on the bedside table sometime last night and clicked a button. "About three in the afternoon."

"We slept in good," I commented, stretching out my arms before skipping out to the living room.

The room was full of filtered light, and I could tell Black and White had slept in the other room as the couch was empty. Sneaking over to the door, I peeked inside and squealed when I saw the two of them lying on the ground together. The bed was ruffled and had obviously been slept in, but my guess was that White had dropped down to the floor to join Black in the middle of the night. I put my fists to my cheeks and couldn't stop myself from grinning. They were just too cute! But so innocent too! I had a strange urge to pinch their cheeks, but settled for giggling softly. Like a pair of little kids!

Forcing myself to go back to the living room, I saw Silver on the couch still trying to wake up, and Green switching on the television. I raced over and turned down the volume, and he looked at me weird. "What's the problem? I'm just seeing if anything's popped up on the news."

"There are people sleeping!" I scolded him. He glanced at Black and White's door, but I shook my head and pointed to the window seat. He moved his gaze and saw Red and Yellow as they were last night, both of them still out.

Green scoffed and returned to the TV. Settling down beside Silver, I watched Black and White emerge, their costumes slightly rumpled and scrubbing sleep from their eyes.

"Hey," Black mumbled. He plopped down on the floor next to Green, his chocolate brown eyes slowly focusing as the morning news started up.

White just trudged in my direction and claimed the final space on the couch for herself. "I'm hungry," she complained softly.

I smiled at her and nudged her arm. "Don't worry! Silver's gonna go out and snag us some food in a bit."

"Then what?" I glanced over at Silver as he propped himself on the arm of the couch on my other side. "Are we just going to keep ourselves holed up here 24/7?"

"Of course not!" I protested. That would be horrible! I don't think I'd be able to stand having nothing to do but roam this little hotel room. "We'll have to go back to Pallet to get our clothes. I'm not sure we could go walking around inconspicuously with these costumes."

He nodded, and Green hit the remote to click off the TV. "Nothing. Not that I was expecting there to be something."

"They're too good to let themselves get caught," I said. "Besides, they're most likely hiding out right now. Looking for us."

"Which is why we need to stay here for a while," Silver stated, cracking his fingers. "We don't want them figuring out where we are."

"_Which is why_ we need to get out there and look for them," I explained to him. "If we can find them before they find us, we can drive them away."

"But where would we even start searching?" Green questioned.

"In the city first. Then spread out if we don't find anything."

He nodded and stood up. "Alright. I'm heading out then. You guys stay here. I'll be back in a little while."

Before anyone could argue with him, he aimed for the door and quickly shut it behind him. Close to bristling, I ran out after the stoic boy. "I'm going, too! It was my idea!"

Back in the room, Silver shook his head with a sigh, and Black and White simply stared in confusion, still not yet awake enough to fully comprehend the hectics of the morning.

* * *

I put my cat ears and other accessories with Green's lab coat in the room service closet before running after the boy who hadn't waited for me. The morning summer sun shone on my pink and purple striped shirt, my pink shorts making it easy to run in the purple converse and catch up.

"Would you slow down?" I panted once at his side.

His eyes were busy searching the crowd as we made our way down town, and his lips barely moved as he said, "You're the one that wanted to tag along."

"It was my idea," I grumbled.

He didn't respond, only continuing to scan the people that walked by. When we passed a coffee shop, he quickly pulled us inside to a window booth so we could watch safely from afar without being spotted.

A lady in a polo shirt the shade of pumpkin spice came up to us with a notepad and pen. "Good morning! What can I get you?"

"Tall latte with two shots and a thick layer of cream. And a black coffee."

Pen scratched on paper, and I looked at Green curiously as she walked away. "How'd you know what kind of coffee I like?" I smiled suspiciously.

He turned away from the window where he'd been looking out intently and narrowed his eyes into a glare. "Because I'm always the one buying it."

I stifled a giggle and shrugged innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about. I only accept the kind offer whenever you give it."

He scoffed. "So that's what forgetting your wallet means nowadays."

I bit the smile on my face as the lady brought our coffees over. After she'd gone, I took a sip of my hot latte and leaned back into the seat. "Okay. It's morning now."

He glanced up from his bitter drink.

"Tell me what it was."

The brunette just looked at me a moment before sighing. "I don't doubt what White said about her intuition last night."

I nodded. "We may not have known her long, but it's quite obvious she's got that talent."

He stirred the dark coffee in his cup with a spoon. "Because of that, we know Amber was never acting or trying to lie to us."

I scrunched my eyebrows. "Yeah, I don't get it."

Clanging the utensil on the glass's edge, he set it down and took a drink. "Exactly. So the question arises, why was he doing it?"

I leaned forward on my elbows dumbfounded. "I…I don't know."

"That's what I was wondering about last night. Maybe he's not actually evil. Maybe he's just being used unconsciously."

I nodded slowly, thinking back to his happy, caring nature. "He seems like the kind of person who would do that."

"So it might not be his fault," Green concluded. "He might not even realize what he's doing."

I thought about it for a while until Green had drained half his cup. "But it still doesn't make sense. He's not that dumb, Green."

He stared out the window again and set his back against the seat. "I know. But you had to consider it."

"But what other explanation could there be to prove him innocent?" I pondered.

Green's face perked up. He looked at me and smirked. "Maybe he was blackmailed."

I tilted my head. "What gave you that idea?"

His eyelids dropped halfway. "Look at who I'm sitting with."

I giggled and downed a good quarter of my cooling coffee. "Hey now, my blackmailing is totally different. Mine doesn't hurt people."

"Physically," he retorted.

I mock-glared at him as he turned to the window. "So now there's only one thing missing." I set down my coffee. "What is he being blackmailed with and why?"

Green waved his hands at me to be quiet, his eyes growing wide. Scooting to the window, I peered outside at the pedestrians and searched for any signs of danger. Finding none, I frowned and turned back to his frozen form.

"I don't see anything," I told him.

"Let's go," he said quickly, leaving a tip with the bill on the table as he slid out of the booth and stood up. Taking my arm, he pulled me with him through the front door into the street.

Irritated at his needless worry, I tugged away from him and broke free of his grasp. "Calm down! We're perfectly fine!"

I could see him clench his jaw in frustration as he whipped around to my planted form. My arms crossed, and my feet stayed rooted to the sidewalk when he attempted to tow me along again.

"Blue," he hissed. "We don't have time for this! We need to get out of here!"

"There's no one coming after us!" I whispered harshly.

He raised an eyebrow and frowned. Bringing himself forward, he murmured in my ear, "Don't look at them, but there's two guys steadily approaching. Both of them have a pendent."

Discreetly twisting my head to the side, I pretended to observe a store, using my peripheral vision to look through the crowd. I froze as it landed on a pair of guys making their way through the flood of people on the sidewalk, black bracelets with dark pendants hanging from their wrists.

Rapidly returning my eyes to Green, I saw him smirk and almost hit the smug Gym Leader as we started pushing through the crowd again.

"We've got to get them off our tail," I told him, jumping out of the way in time to avoid colliding with an elderly man. "We can't lead them back to the hotel."

"You think I don't know that?" He replied curtly. "We've got to disappear somehow."

"Let's get into an alley and fly off," I suggested, one of them coming up ahead.

"No," he told me. "They might having Flying types with them and follow."

I started to panic as the hotel came into view a few blocks down. Looking behind us, I saw the two guys still there, the brunette pointing at me and leading the blonde one after us. "We've got to hurry!"

Green was frantically looking for anything we could use when he spotted a large group of kids about our age striding down the street. "Quick! Let's get merged before the hotel comes up!"

Catching on, I ran up to the edge of the group and rushed in. There were a few protests, but I was able to talk my way through the teenagers and get to the middle where I would be most hidden. Glancing around the bobbing heads, I quickly found Green and helped him get to where I was. Walking next to him, I realized he was much taller than the others, and his head popped out above the rest.

"Why do you have to be so tall?" I muttered. Thinking fast, I pulled out Ditty's Pokeball and released it. Giving it a command, the Pokemon jumped onto Green's unsuspecting face, startling him as it started to change form. In a few seconds, our junior Platinum's head was sitting atop Green's body.

"Okay, what did you do to me?" His voice was hard and annoyed even with the threat of capture still present.

I held back a laugh. "J-just helped disguise you."

He flashed a glance in a shop window and grimaced. "It had to be a girl?"

"T-they haven't seen her yet," I managed to say. "They d-don't know what she looks like s-so it was an ideal choice."

His eye twitched at my restrained laughter. "I'm so going to get you later." Platinum's chrome-colored eyes gazed out above all the heads and looked for the two guys. "They're still coming."

I heard the slight panic in his tone and refused to let myself feel it. Concentrating on the crowd, I searched for the smoothest way out that wouldn't attract the guys' attention. Finally, I saw a break right in front of the hotel doors and made a beeline for it, latching onto Green/Platinum and bringing him/her with me.

We pressed ourselves against the wall of the building as the crowd passed before rushing into a side alley and spying from inside. The two guys were stopping at the hotel, spinning around in an attempt to find us. We ducked back into the shadows when they looked our way, and after a few minutes, they shrugged and went on after the teenagers.

The two of us sighed and showed ourselves to the light, Ditty jumping off Green's face and revealed his brown hair and forest eyes once more. He stretched his jaw and glared at me. "Never do that again."

"I won't have to as long as they stay away," I told him.

He nodded, and we stared after the two men, their feet and suspicion continuing to move farther away from us in the wrong direction. Letting out another deep breath, I followed Green inside as we headed back upstairs to the others. We'd just finally gotten Yellow safe and away from the people who wanted to kidnap her.

And they just might've already found out where she is.

* * *

Me: *sniffle* And so begins the Second Chapter of the Old Grudge Series. If you've just randomly discovered this story, I hope you read my other one first. It'll make a lot more sense. After that, I hope you liked it and continue to stick with me.

Gardevoir: Enough talking. You need to sleep this off so that I don't have to watch out for you anymore.

Me: *narrows eyes* Glad to know you care so much.

Gardevoir: Yeah, not really. *grabs cough medicine* Open up.

Me: *swallows horrid tonic* Bleh! Hate that...*crashes*

Gardevoir: *Looks at bottle* May cause drowsiness. *Looks back at collapsed person and shrugs* Oh well. Hope this chapter was entertaining enough for you readers. Return for Eon's sake. She'll want to know what you guys thought. See ya soon!


	2. Chapter 2: Hotel Hunters

Me: Holy horsefeathers! *starts bouncing off the walls* EIGHT REVIEWS! EIGHT OF 'EM!

Gardevoir: My Lugia, calm down! *massages ear* I think you might have burst my eardrum.

Me: I don't care! Whoo hoo! This is totally a new record for one of my first chapters! ...then again, that was only the second one I've ever done...

Gardevoir: So I take it you're feeling better?

Me: Much better! I can finally breathe through my nose again! Hehe!

Gardevoir: That's a relief! I don't have to feed you soup and medicine anymore.

Me: That goes for me too, you know! I don't appreciate getting a dose strong enough to knock me out in two seconds flat!

Gardevoir: Heh, sure made my job easier.

Me: *grumble grumble* *smiles at readers* **Disclaimer: I have never nor will I ever own Pokemon in any way. The only thing that comes close is my plot and wonderful OC's! **

* * *

Chapter Two: Green

"They're here?" Red asked incredulously. "Already?!"

"Afraid so," I told him as he rubbed his sleepy crimson eyes. Blue and I had gotten back a couple hours ago, and he'd just woken up a few minutes earlier as the sun had set. He hadn't moved from his spot at Yellow's side, instead watching everybody else move. I understood his protective state, as extreme as it was, and had decided to sit with him as Black and White started clearing everything off the main room table.

Blue and Silver entered from the front door then, revealing the grocery bags on their arms as they stepped out of the small hallway. Setting them at the side of the room, the pink and purple brunette pulled a few boxes from the pile and handed them to White.

The other brunette stared at her senior. "Mac & Cheese? I thought you were getting easy-to-make food!"

Blue smiled and placed the packages on the cleared table. "Yeah, but I was walking through the store and realized that we might be here awhile, and we can't just live off sandwiches and cookies every day."

"Yes we can," a disappointed Black muttered.

White shook her head at him. "But we don't even have any pots. Or a stove!"

Blue flicked her finger before walking over to Red and me. Bending in front of the sleepy boy, she gently prodded his arm. She chuckled as his half-shut eyes shot open.

"Awake yet, Red?" She asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, sure," he said groggily, rubbing an eye. "What do you need?"

"Can I see Pika's Pokeball?"

He narrowed his eyes in wariness.

"Please?"

After a minute, he sighed, not yet awake enough to argue, and handed her the Pokeball. She grinned at him and scurried back to where Black, White, and Silver were standing around the table.

Releasing the Pikachu, she told him to conjure up the surfboard he used to Surf created from his old Substitute move. In a few seconds, a small glowing board appeared on the table, and she instructed the Pokemon to morph it. He closed his eyes in concentration, and the board began to move. After flicking his paws around and commanding it with his will, Pika popped his eyes back open and proudly put forth a glowing pot.

Blue smirked at White and handed her the tangible energy. "Who says we have nothing to cook it with?"

The business girl's eyebrow stayed up. "Okay. Where are we going to get a stove?"

The Cheshire grinned again and darted for Black, plucking a Pokeball from his pocket.

"Hey!" He protested, but she ignored him and threw it into the air. It popped open to reveal a pig-like Fire type that snorted a little flame and smiled. Curious, I pulled out my Pokedex and hit the button.

**"Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokemon. Normally, fire shoots out of Tepig's snout, but it shoots out smoke instead when it is feeling ill."**

"What do you need Tep for?" Black asked curiously.

"To make supper, silly!" Blue told him cheerfully. She took the bowl back from White and set it on the table, adding the noodles from the boxes. She frowned a moment before snapping her fingers and releasing Blasty. Having the Water type fill the bowl, she stirred the noodles and water with a spoon from one of the bags she'd brought home and walked back over to Tep.

"Would you mind making a flame, little one?" She asked nicely.

Looking to Black, the trainer nodded and told him to use Ember. A small fire escaped from his snout, and Blue clapped, returning Blasty and bringing out Ditty. "And now for the stove!" The Pokemon transformed into a stove-like structure, a little hole at the back for the fire to travel through. Placing his nose in front of it, Tep sent the flame through the "stove" where it popped up on the surface in the burner area.

Blue smirked at White and put the pot above the fire. "And you said we couldn't make Mac & Cheese."

White shook her head and sighed. "Okay! I give up! You win. We'll have macaroni for supper!"

Blue gave her another smile before turning back to cook the noodles.

I sighed and watched her as she methodically stirred the water. Black and White settled for finding something to watch on TV, and Silver rifled through the grocery bags, taking everything out and setting it against the wall. Glancing at Red, I saw him staring at Yellow behind our heads.

"She must be really tired," he commented to himself.

I said nothing, sitting there quietly until Blue shouted that supper would be ready in five minutes. Red stood up and leaned down to Yellow, gently prodding her shoulder.

"Yellow," he said softly. "Time to wake up." When she didn't move, he frowned and poked her a little harder. "Come on, Yellow. Stop messing around." Still she didn't stir, and he anxiously looked at me. "Why won't she wake up?"

I took in her normal breathing yet deeply sleeping form. "Red, Amber might've drugged her. If that's the case, then it's going to take a little longer for it to wear off."

He looked at me doubtfully but nodded anyway. "You're probably right."

He was quiet through the whole dinner, saying nothing as the others talked about the city and whatnot. I could tell he was still worried even after I'd tried to reassure him. I turned slightly around until I could see Yellow lying on the window seat. She would wake up soon. I went back to listening to everyone converse, forcing myself like Red to believe those words. I mean, why wouldn't she?

After everyone was done eating, Blue collected the plastic dishes she'd bought, and Pika waved his hands to make the Substitute bowl disappear. She started walking towards the door, and Silver called out to her. "Where are you going?"

She grinned. "I'm going to sneak into the kitchen. They've got some sinks there." The girl quickly disappeared, and White leaned against the bottom of the couch with a sigh.

"Remind me again why we couldn't just order room service?" She asked.

"We're trying to lay low, remember?" I said shortly. "We don't want anyone coming here that doesn't need to."

"But it's just food," she argued.

I shook my head. "People have strange ways of doing things, and we don't want to take any chances."

She huffed, but in defeat, and clamped her mouth shut. Beside her Black did the same, and Red returned to his seat near Yellow. Absentmindedly, he gently brushed his fingers across her arm but was met with the previous results. Silver had his attention on the news, watching for anything like I'd done earlier.

We all remained like that for a while, calm and silent, until the door burst open, and we all sprang to our feet. Footsteps sounded briefly in the hall before Blue appeared empty-handed.

"What's wrong?" Black asked surprised.

"They're here!" She told us, rushing over to the bags against the wall and refilling them as fast as she could. "I saw them in the lobby asking around for a group of kids who looked like us!"

I ran over and grabbed her hands. "Blue! Stop it! We're not going anywhere this minute."

She glared vehemently at me, and the sheer anger in it made me let her go in shock.

"I _will not_ stay around to let them take her," she growled.

I hardened my eyes against her ice cold ones. "Where are we going to go?"

She shook her head and went back to packing. "I don't know! Anywhere but here!"

"We can't just run out of here with nowhere to go!" I roared. Taking a moment to calm myself and lower my voice, I tried to reason with her stubborn mindset. "That'll just make us even more vulnerable."

Her hands paused, and she stopped moving. My jaw slacked, and my eyes widened when I saw her shoulders shaking.

"Blue?" White said faintly from behind.

The girl turned her face to me, and I could see the blue of her eyes rimmed with red.

"I-I just can't risk it, Green," she choked out. "I-I can't let them get her."

I kneeled beside her quietly, surprised at the tears that were threatening to overflow. Blue never cried—for real anyway. So to see her trembling like this, I realized how nerve-wracking this whole situation must be for her.

Leaning forward after a silent moment, I gently wrapped my arms around her, and her slight sobs were muffled by my shirt. The others sat in a state of shock similar to my own as I stroked her long brown hair.

"What happened?" White questioned with a tilt of her Latias head. "Who did she see?"

"My guess would be the blonde and brunette with the pendants that were tailing us earlier today," I said grimly.

Silver and Red looked at each other. "Melany's men," they muttered.

"Describe them for White and me," Black demanded. "We need to know, too, so we can avoid them."

Once I'd explained the two men to them, Silver shut off the TV and put down the remote. "While we're at it, you should probably know about Melany."

White nodded. "We heard about her the other week when the commercial shoot got bombed, but there's not a lot that we know."

"Well, she's got white-blonde hair cut short in a pixie style," Silver stated. "Her eyes are a deep blue color, and she sometimes wears glasses."

"As for her clothes," Red cut in with a glance at the Johto boy. "From what I saw, she has a black T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and dark-colored running shoes?"

"Sounds about right," Silver confirmed. "Along with her own TR pendent."

White's eyes clouded with puzzlement. "Pendent?"

Silver turned to her to elaborate. "Melany and her guys wear these black stone pendants with big bold TR's on them, although Melany's is on a white necklace and the others are black bracelets. The symbol's lead us to believe that Team Rocket is the one targeting Yellow."

Black and White nodded, memorizing the information to keep on the lookout and in the know. At that moment, Blue stirred in my arms, and I watched her smile in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she apologized softly.

I just looked at her a second before letting go and sitting on the ground at her side. "We'll go look for another place tomorrow," I promised.

She smiled again and closed her eyes, resting her head on my shoulder. I could feel the heat coming to my cheeks and sighed.

"Pesky woman."

Silver glared at me, and Black stood up. "I think we should go to sleep."

"But we just got up like six hours ago," White protested.

"Yeah, but we need to get our bodies back on their normal sleeping schedules," Black pointed out. "If you can't fall asleep on your own, I'll have Musha help."

She stood up to him for a minute or two before sighing. "Fine."

Following her to their room, he stopped at the door and turned back to us. "Will you guys be alright?"

The four of us minus Blue nodded as she was already beginning to breathe softly. Black did the same and silently shut the door behind him. Silver looked at those left before getting up himself and heading to the room he shared with Blue and me.

"I think I'll head off, too," he told us, vanishing into the other extra room.

I glanced down at the girl on my shoulder and shrugged so as to wake her up. When she finally brought her head up drowsily, I helped her to her feet and looked to Red who was still lying against the seat by Yellow. "You should really sleep on the couch. It's not good for you to keep doing that."

"I don't care," he grumbled. "I won't let her go again."

"Red…"

He fought my stern look for a good while until giving up with an angry huff. "Fine. I won't sleep on the floor tonight."

I nodded tersely and took Blue to bed. She was already out before I had even set her on the bed, and I slowly covered her with the blanket, trying not to wake her up. When she was all snug, I walked past Silver who was silently breathing in the window seat and grabbed by blanket from the end of the bed, settling down on my spot on the floor.

Yes, I know. Hypocrite me.

Shifting around on the thinly carpeted ground, I finally managed to get myself to fall asleep. It was a dreamless sleep, nothing but darkness the whole way through, but sleep nonetheless. It seemed like something was about to come up though when a rustling brought me back to reality, and I snapped upright. Rotating my head slowly, I didn't see any suspicious characters sneaking around to my relief, but I was able to pinpoint the cause of the noise above my head.

Blue was tossing and turning violently in her sleep, and my eyes grew large as she screamed into the pillow and rolled off the bed. I got to my knees and snapped out my arms to catch her, doing so just in time. I fell forward onto my elbows as she collided, the sudden motion jolting her awake.

I stared in shock at the terror in her aqua blue eyes, my jaw going slack as she closed them and turned away.

"A-are you okay?" I whispered. It didn't appear that Silver was awake yet, and I wasn't going to be the one to arouse him.

She nodded her head, but I knew right away that she was lying by the way she started shaking. Carefully standing up on my feet, I felt her wrap her arms around my neck and sheepishly squeezed her gently.

"You're fine, Blue," I said softly. "It was just a dream."

I set her down on the bed, but she seemed reluctant to let go. When she finally did, I pulled the covers over her again and laid back down on the floor. I was about to close my eyes when another shifting of the sheets sounded, and I glanced up to see her looking down at me with those darn blue doe eyes.

Waiting for her to flip back over and fall asleep, I sighed when she didn't and stood back up. Grabbing the edge of her blanket, I waited for her to scoot over and give me room to slip in. As soon as I had settled into the pillow, I felt her grab my arm and automatically blushed at how tight she was holding it.

Spinning to look at her, I saw that the frown on her face had melted away, and she was sleeping peacefully. Rolling my eyes at the girl, I shuffled around until I was comfortable and closed my eyes. Sleep came by more difficultly this time, but my mind eventually forgot the burning in my face and slowly blacked out.

The darkness didn't seem to last long, but I managed to make it through the night, waking up on only a few occasions. When I opened my eyes for the final time, sunlight was streaming through the curtains behind Silver, and my Pokegear read nine in the morning.

Feeling something shift next to me, I glanced down to see that Blue had moved in the night and was now curled up in the crook of my arm, hers stretched out beneath her head as she breathed softly. I groaned slightly, trying to decide whether or not to get out of bed. I took another look at her deceptively sweet face and narrowed my eyes.

She gave a yelp as I stood up suddenly and sent her plopping onto the mattress. Her blue eyes shot open, and she stuck her tongue out at me. "You could've told me you were up."

I smirked. "But it's not as fun that way."

She huffed in surprise, but it quickly vanished as she smiled and jumped up to help me fix the blankets. By the time they were smoothed out and back at the foot of the bed, Silver had also woken up and stalked out to the main area, Blue and I following him.

Upon entering the room, I saw that Black and White were already awake, snacking on some Pop Tarts for breakfast on the couch. Not seeing Red there like he should have been, my eyes went to Yellow, and I shook my head at what I found.

Red had picked Yellow up and set himself in her spot so that he was next to her in the window seat, the perfect place for him to keep guard. I sighed at him as he sensed our movement and started waking up, glancing hazily at us. Blue handed me a doughnut from one of the boxes in the bags and sat down on the floor at Black and White's feet with her own.

"So when does the house hunting begin?" She asked before munching down on her breakfast.

"We'll head out after we're done," I told everyone.

"What exactly are we looking for?" White mused aloud.

Having no idea, I glanced at Blue who polished off her doughnut and clapped her hands. "Nothing big and permanent. We don't know how long this will take so most likely a place that's temporary and that we can leave at any time."

"So basically another hotel," Silver said smartly.

Blue shook her head. "I'm not sure if we can afford to stay at one right now. We don't have that much money on us at the moment, and like I said, we have no idea how long this hiding out will take."

"Leave the payments to me," White suddenly offered. "The BW Agency can cover them."

Blue gasped at her and waved her hand. "No, you couldn't possibly do that! That's your company's hard-earned cash!"

"It's fine!" White insisted with a smile. "Pika and Chuchu have received some funds from the commercial and movie they shot in, and I think it'll be able to cover us, as long as that's okay with Red and Yellow." She looked to Red who nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure Yellow would be fine with it, too." He let out a small laugh. "I didn't even know they were getting paid."

"Then it's settled." White crumpled up her wrapper and tossed it into a waste basket. "You guys will go search for another safe place we can stay at, and I'll take care of the financial issues at this hotel before we find the next one."

The rest of us nodded except for Red who remained where he was as the rest of us got up to start leaving. "Somebody's got to stay here with Yellow."

"I know, Red," I told him, the others filing down the hallway out of the room.

"I can do it," he said with a tone that hinted that it wasn't a suggestion.

I smiled a little. "I know, Red."

He nodded and leaned his head back against the wall, wrapping his arms around Yellow as I shut the door behind me and went after the others to the ground floor lobby. Stepping out of the elevator, I saw White at the reception desk conversing with the lady, one of her business cards in hand that I guessed she always carried with her. The other three were waiting at the front doors, and they turned to me as I walked up to them.

"Okay, we've decided that Black will go with Silver on the north side of town, and you and I will take the south end, Green," Blue dictated.

I simply nodded in agreement, and we set out with the plan. Silver and Black branched off to the right to head uptown, and Blue and I trailed along the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

There were few clouds out today so we had to shield our eyes as we went along. Even with the glare making it hard to look up, it wasn't difficult to see all the businesses crowded together on Main Street as we turned the corner a while later. There was already a large amount of people up and about, moving through the morning and streaming past us while we walked further down the lane.

"Where do we start?" Blue asked.

I stopped us in front of a hotel with another one just across the street. "Here I guess. There's probably a few more after this, too."

She nodded and twirled an end of her hair with her finger. "Okay, it absolutely has to have a security system—preferably one I can get into and check whenever I want."

I glared at her. "Blue. You can't just hack a hotel! I'm pretty sure it's illegal."

She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. "How else am I supposed to make sure no one's snooping around?"

I scoffed. "Believe me. You won't need any special security with Red here."

The blue-eyed girl giggled with a toss of her locks. "Whatever. I'll check out this one. You can take the other."

She passed through the doors next to us, and I safely crossed the road to the next hotel. Striding down the sidewalk to the front of it, the doors opened silently at my presence, and I stepped from the summer heat into the cool AC. Taking in the surroundings, I noted that it looked decent enough and probably wouldn't cost all too much.

There were two men at the front desk speaking with the lady so I leaned against the wall by the entrance, waiting for them to finish. My mind began to wander, but I suddenly snapped my head back to the three people across the room as their conversation drifted to my ears.

"So would you like a room then?" The woman asked, her eyes scrunched in slight confusion.

"No, no," said the blonde on the left. "We're just trying to find some of our…friends." He chuckled slightly.

I froze, beginning to recognize the cut of the guy's hair and the stance of the brunette next to him.

"We lost track of them after a costume party the other night. Have you seen a group of like seven dressed-up kids check in here recently?" The other one asked smoothly.

My eyes widened, and my heart started beating rapidly in shock. With stealthily quiet feet, I snuck out of the doors, not even bothering to stick around for the answer. As soon as I was free of the building, I turned for the other hotel and immediately ran to warn Blue. However, no sooner had taken a step forward did I bump straight into the exact girl I was looking for.

"Oh! Green! How was it?" She asked hopefully before pursing her lips and scowling. "Mine was so drab and horrible! And they didn't even have any cameras!"

I snatched her arm and started briskly walking us down the street away from the hotel. Instead of pulling away like last time, she caught on quickly and kept up with me enough that I could let her go. "Are they back?"

I nodded. "I just saw them asking around for us like you said they were doing last night."

Her face set, and she frowned. "We really need to get out of here." She looked up and saw the last hotel on this street, a brightly lit structure with grand features and shiny walls. "I sure hope this one works."

I warily glanced behind us and followed her through the spinning door. "Let's hurry. We need to get back to the others as soon as possible."

Soft light met us as we entered the lobby, plush furniture and polished counters making up most of the large room. Blue instantly took a liking to the sophisticated scenery and rushed up to the receptionist to ask about prices and features.

Left alone, I wandered around, stepping out of the way of a bellman and his luggage cart and accidentally into an elevator. The doors shut behind me before I could get back out, and I stood there worriedly, the thought of Blue alone heavy in my mind and the threat of Melany's guys still looming.

The panels finally reopened, and I hurried through them to the stairs knowing they would be faster than taking the elevator back down. My foot was just about to touch down on the first step when I saw someone rounding a bend in the hallway from the corner of my eye. The familiar black hair made me stop and freeze, and the sight of the gold and silver yin yang caused my hand to tighten.

I was sprinting in less than a second. "Hey!"

He jerked around at my voice, and his eyes grew wide at my fuming presence. Fast as he could, he ran for the elevator, jamming his fingers on the buttons in panic. I clenched my teeth and dove for the diminishing opening, coming up short and smacking my face on the steel doors.

Back on my feet in a flash, I went straight for the stairs again and almost tripped the whole way down as I rushed to beat him to the ground floor. Luck seemed to be against me today though as a mob of annoyingly loud kids suddenly appeared below and I had to fight my way through them, losing precious time with each angry shove.

When I finally made it back to the lobby, I saw in shock that the elevator was already closing again with a new set of people. Dashing for the revolving front door, I stared in disbelief at the pedestrians outside, not seeing a gold-rimmed black shirt _anywhere._

It was like he'd just disappeared.

My eyes stayed glued to the glass until Blue playfully pounced on my back and turned me around.

"It's perfect! They even have a pool here!" She gushed excitedly. "We can relax a bit while the situation does the same."

I looked down at her. "I just saw him."

Her frown fell. "What?"

"Upstairs. He was upstairs."

Her eyes widened immensely. "Are you serious?"

I nodded, turning my head back to look outside and hardening my face. "He's back."

Red

I slowly opened my eyes and beat away the darkness, hoping with all my heart that Yellow was awake again. Looking down at her still form next to me, I frowned when I saw that her breathing was slow, and those bright green eyes had yet to emerge. That familiar sense of panic struck for the thousandth time, and I did my best to suppress it.

Two days. It'd been two days now since she'd gone unconscious, and she was still not awake yet. Green did have a point about Amber drugging her, but something in my gut was telling me that there was more to it. I took off my hat for a moment and let out a sigh. Something right under my nose that I couldn't see.

Returning my gaze to Yellow and smiling a little, I placed my cap back on before closing my eyes and leaning back against the wall of the window seat again, my fingers lightly stroking her hair. Worry was the main factor consuming me right now, but anxiety was right up there with it. When she woke up, I'd finally be able to tell her how I felt. No more Amber to confuse things or running away to Mt. Silver. Green's words had convinced me, and I had a good feeling that this confession was long overdue. Now don't get me wrong—I was still nervous and all. It's not every day that you just profess yourself to someone.

But she wouldn't wake up. And that's what truly scared me.

I heard the door shut and immediately snapped to attention, a hand at my belt as I waited in apprehension to see who it was. Most likely it was one of the others, but better safe than sorry, right?

The muscles in my arm relaxed when I saw that it was only Black and Silver returning from hotel hunting. Black collapsed full-body on the couch while Silver scavenged through the grocery bags for something to munch on.

"Find anything?" I asked them as he came up positive with a bag of Pecha Berries.

"Not really," Black answered, his face muffled by the cushions of the furniture, and Silver nodded.

"There wasn't that much to look at on our side of town," he said simply, popping a berry in his mouth. "Blue and Green should be back anytime, though. They might've had better luck."

He must have uttered the magic words for the door reopened and in walked the two, their faces distorted by surprise and strain. It caught all our attention, and we stared at them as they sat down on either side of Silver in his armchair.

"What happened?" I asked, a bit fearfully I'll admit.

Blue instantly snapped the look away and replaced it with her usual cheer. "We think we've found another hotel! And a nice one, too!"

"That's great news!" came White's voice from the front hallway. Our heads snapped around as she entered the room and took a seat next to Black who got up from his sprawled position to give her room. "Oh! And I got the whole payment issue dealt with. Took a while, though. The lady didn't believe me at first." She shrugged. "Then again, I'm still posing as a Legendary Pokemon so…"

Blue laughed and snagged a berry from Silver's bag which earned her a slight glare. "Well, we checked out a few others after that one, but none of them were as good."

"Great!" Black said enthusiastically. "Then that means our moving issue is dealt with." He glanced down at his Latias outfit and frowned. "Now we just have to take care of the clothing one."

"Don't worry," Blue reassured him. "That's the next thing on the list."

I plucked my gaze from her and moved it to Green who still wore that same expression as when he walked in. Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head, the motion shifting Yellow slightly. "Anything else occur?"

Blue's smile fell, and Green nodded slowly as she started twirling an end of her hair nervously. The rest of us remained quiet as he started to speak. "We saw Melany's guys out today. They were looking for us."

Silver paused mid-bite and set the Pecha Berry down. "So? Blue said they were here doing that yesterday. It was bound to happen eventually."

"It's not just that," Green replied shortly. He looked at me before continuing. "When we were at one of the hotels…I saw him."

My subconscious was smarter than my actual brain so my blood was boiling before I even realized who he was talking about. When my mind finally caught up, so did the reflexes in my fingers as they proceeded to curl up like they'd been doing quite frequently recently.

"He's in the city." Green's voice was even, and I could see he was curious as to how I would react. "And I'm pretty sure he's out there looking for us."

"For Yellow, you mean," I growled.

He didn't say anything, letting Blue jump in and try to distract everyone. "Hey! It's already six! I say we get something to eat!"

"Already ahead of you," Silver mumbled with a berry in his mouth.

She swiped the bag from him and tapped his cheek. "That's so impolite. Talking with your mouth full…I've taught you better than that."

Silver rolled his eyes at her attempt of motherhood, and she started giggling. White shook her head and got up to help her, and Black stayed glued to his seat.

"I wonder how they figured out where we'd gone so fast," he murmured.

I frowned and looked protectively at Yellow. "You and me both."

Another hour slipped by as Blue and White argued over what to make and finally came to an agreement that didn't involve a Ditto-stove but only a Tepig-fire. Blue had Pika make that Substitute pot again, and she made hot soup from a can over the small flame that Black's Pokemon released from its snout. Soon enough, the six of us were chowing down and cleaning up the mess she'd made. All that was left was a few bowls when there was a knock at the door, and everyone froze.

You would think we'd rehearsed a safety drill or something as Black and White dashed off to their room to hide, and Silver did the same after concealing me and Yellow with the curtains. The material wasn't all that see-through so I had to strain my ears to get an idea of what was going on as I heard Green answer the door.

"We didn't order room service," he told whoever it was quite spitefully.

It was a faint voice but familiar enough to make me pause. "We're not here to deliver anything."

I clenched my teeth, and an almost Pokemon-like snarl rumbled in my throat at the next sentence.

"In fact, we're actually here to collect."

This other voice was just barely cut off as the door was slammed shut, and I heard Blue's quick breathing. I also heard the threat that was made clear through the wall.

"We'll be back. And next time, it won't be a house call."

I could barely make out the footsteps that slowly drifted away and peered out from behind the curtains to see Blue with her back against the door when they were gone, staring straight ahead with wide eyes as Green tried to calm her down.

"Now do you see why I'm worried?!" She hissed at him. Shaking her head, she made a dash for the bags. "No more waiting. We're leaving for that other hotel right now."

The other three silently crept back out of the rooms, and Green grabbed her arm. "We need to think this through. We can't just go running out there, you know that!"

The girl turned on him with tight fists. "I'm done thinking, Green! It's time to do!"

"And that's exactly what they want!" He shouted at her. "They want us to start freaking out and rush out of here right this minute. Which is why we have to stay at least until morning."

"Morning?!" Blue shrieked. "Are you kidding me?! We can't wait that long!"

"Yes! We can, Blue!" He told her forcefully. "We'll leave before the sun even comes up if that makes you happy, but we've got stay indoors for another few hours! Just to be safe."

She was frozen, the need to flee and the want to slap him warring evidently on her face. After a brief period of silence, she squished her eyes shut and bit her lip. "Four A.M. That's when the door shuts behind us."

Green nodded stiffly and looked at us to make sure that we understood the plan. Once we'd all confirmed it, he turned back to her and sighed. "Alright then. Let's get some sleep. Arceus knows we'll need it."

He didn't wait for anyone to answer, simply leading Blue to the room and expecting Silver to follow. After the redhead had vanished behind them, Black looked to me as White stalked off to their room. "Sleep well, Red."

I smiled at him. "You, too. I'll set an alarm and get you guys up since you don't have your…um…?"

He chuckled lightly, his winged Latias ears bouncing on his head. "Xtransceiver. It's a part of the device White and I always wear called C-Gear."

"Why don't you call it C-Gear then?" I asked warm-heartedly.

He smirked and shrugged. "I dunno. Xtransceiver just sounds cooler."

I laughed softly at him, and he smiled again before shutting off the living room light and heading through the doorway to bed.

The room was alone except for Yellow and me, and I sighed, turning my attention back to her worriedly.

"When are you going to wake up, Yellow?" I asked quietly.

She didn't answer me, only continuing to breathe softly. Sighing again, I set the promised alarm and leaned my head on the wall while shutting my eyes, beginning to drift off and doing likewise as Yellow after a while.

I would have thought that all the anxiety and stress I was feeling would have let me stay out the entire night, but strangely enough, a peculiar noise jolted me from my dead sleep. I wasn't too far awake to open my eyes, but I could feel the intense heat filming over my skin and instantly knew that something was not right.

My ears swiftly identified the noise as a crackling sound, and I fought to get my eyes working. When I finally won and popped them open, I sucked in a quick breath, and dread filled every inch of me from head to toe.

The hotel room was on fire.

* * *

Me: OH NOES! Well, there's a pyromaniac author for ya.

Gardevoir: You just had to make a giant destructive fire part of the story, didn't you?

Me: Teehee!

Gardevoir: *sigh* I think you need medical help...

Me: *tilts head* What'd you say?

Gardevoir: Nothing. *looks away slyly*

Me: Hmm..._alright then_. Anywho, thanks SOOOOOOOOOO much for all the reviews guys! You have no idea how much I was jumping around excitedly in a circle each time a new one popped up! So if you want to know what happens next, I suggest you review and return!

**Will our beloved Dex Holders perish in a fiery grave before their story has even begun?! **Eh, probably not. Then how could the plot ever unfold? ;D 'Til next time!


	3. Chapter 3: Wake Up Call

Me: *brandishes knife* Ah, I just love carving pumpkins!

Gardevoir: *grabs her pumpkin and shuffles farther away* Careful now. I don't feel like losing a limb anytime soon.

Me: Oh come on! I'm not that clumsy! *throws knife in air to catch it*

Gardevoir: AHH!

Me: *backs away in fear* Ah! *knife blade buries into pumpkin side*

Gardevoir: *glare* Are you really that much of an idiot?

Me: *smiles nervously* Eheh...

Gardevoir: *angry sigh* **Disclaimer: Eon does in no way shape or form own Pokemon. We'd all be done for if it actually did fall into that clutz's hands.**

* * *

Chapter Three: Blue

_A screech of fire sent the whole world blazing, and all I could see anywhere was smoke. I stood there trembling, the dark ride to this mysterious place already enough to shake me. I wasn't home like I should have been. Mom would be getting worried soon. _

_My head whipped around, arms swishing through the smoke in an attempt to clear it. When all that did was fan it out more, I prepared my voice to shout for help. The first yell was about to escape when a figure appeared through the dark haze, and I clamped my mouth shut. _

_It was hard to make out any features, but the form was slowly moving closer, and as it finally came within five feet of me, I could see the horrifying silver mask it wore on its face. _

_And then I really did scream._

* * *

I shot up straight like a rocket, adrenaline powering every nerve in my body. I frightfully swung my head around and breathed in relief to find that I was back in the hotel room with Silver and Green, the redhead in the window seat and brunette on the floor as usual. I slowly settled back into the pillow and gave a shaky sigh, the scent of smoke still thick on my tongue.

This was the second time now that my old nightmares had come back. It'd been a long time since I'd had dreams about the Masked Man and Ho-Oh, and I thought that they'd gone away. It confused me as to why they were suddenly coming back—and, strangely, in sequential order.

Last night when I'd woken up to see Green staring at me, the first dream had come. It had been about when Ho-Oh had snatched me in its claws and flew away, only featuring the details of that dreadful time before my eyes had opened. Tonight, though, it'd moved on to the next part when I saw the Masked Man for the first time, the only presence of the Legendary Bird being its shriek of flames and breath of smoke.

I coughed a little at the thought and wet my lips a little. My dreams had always been quite vivid, but I didn't remember the aftereffects lasting this long—the smell of smoke was continuing to fill my nose.

Suddenly, I saw a haze beginning to mystify in the room and ran my fingers through it, feeling the palpable air. My eyes widened, and they flew to the door where I saw a bright orange light beneath it.

"Green! Silver!

My scream sent them jumping, and I did likewise, aiming for the door. As it swooshed open, I coughed violently at the rush of smoke that swept in and squinted my eyes to see what was going on.

The entire room was on fire, flames pouring over the walls and sparking dangerously on the furniture. Red was in a fighting stance in front of Yellow at her window seat, Poli out next to him keeping the flames back from her and Pika in front ready to attack the two guys who were opposite to him with a Magmar each.

The same two guys who worked for Melany.

The only reason all three of them hadn't already burned to death was the fact of Poli's water and that the two Magmar appeared to be controlling the flames with their hands.

"How are they doing that?" I yelled over the roar of the rolling fire.

Green who was behind my left shoulder by Silver shouted me an answer. "Gramps did some research about them a while ago. He found out that some of the most powerful Magmar have limited psychic power that can be used to control fire."

Pika let loose a Thunder straight for the two opposing Pokemon, but they just shrugged it off like it was an annoying fly. Red gawked at this new development, and Green's eyebrow rose.

"And can develop the ability Air Lens—which basically cancels out any and all Electric type moves."

Silver jerked me back swiftly as a piece of burning ceiling fell down where I was standing, and I yelped in surprise as we were showered with a million sparks. Our only exit suddenly blocked by burning wreckage and cutting off our view of Red, I told the boys to back up and brought out Blasty.

"Use Water Gun!" I told him hurriedly.

Due to him being high-leveled, the normally moderate move completely blasted through the debris, cooling it instantly and creating room for the three of us to rush out into the main area with him. Once there, we saw that the two Magmar had taken down Pika, and Red had returned him to his Pokeball. The heat was proving to be a problem for all of us, but the two men just smirked from behind their Pokemon.

"We warned you," the blonde one told us slyly.

"But as usual," the brunette sighed. "You have to be difficult."

I skittered on my tiptoes to stomp the fire at my feet, and Red scoffed in disgust. "Do you really expect us to just give her up?"

The brunette grinned evilly. "Actually, that _would_ make things a lot simpler."

He made a move for Yellow. In turn, Red had Poli shoot a Hydro Pump at him, knocking the guy back to his partner and putting out some of the flames between them. However, that was only a little win when I looked at the raging inferno the room had become. If we didn't get out of here soon, I wasn't too sure what would happen to us.

The brunette got up angrily and commanded his Magmar to shoot a jet of fire at Red. Right as it came bursting from the Pokemon's mouth, Blasty shot out another Water Gun that quickly extinguished the flames in mid-air. Red coughed from all the smoke in the air and took this time to have Poli douse the distance between us, granting our trio passage. We reached his side in seconds as Blasty continued to ward off more of the fire and heat from both the room and two guys.

"Go wake up Black and White!" Red yelled with another cough, Poli creating another watered-down path through the flames. Silver instantly obliged, and Blasty widened his range to cover the boy as he sped into their room.

"How are they still sleeping?!" I asked incredulously with a slight rasp from the polluted air.

"We've got bigger problems than heavy sleepers right now, Blue!" Red retorted, his eyes travelling to the two guys who were growing more and more irritated by the minute.

"Just give us the girl, and you can leave here with your skin still white!" The blonde one shouted at us.

The only response he got was a shot of water to the face from Green's Golduck. Now armed with three type advantages, Red carefully scooped up Yellow's unconscious form. The Water types continued to defend against the Fire moves and made a cooled walkway for us to reach the front door. Red quickly ran for it with Yellow and Poli, and Silver appeared with Black and White whose eyes were bugging out at the wakeup call in front of them. They were soon trailing out of the room next, leaving Green and I to follow.

The spikey-haired brunette had just exited the room with his Pokemon when Blasty dodged a Flame Burst that zoomed behind my head and crashed into the hallway wall. He was waving at me to hurry up and join him, but I took a look at the two guys coming after us fast and adamantly shook my head.

"Get everyone out of here!" I coughed out violently, turning to see Blasty hit the enemy with another nasty Water Gun that knocked them back ten feet. "I'll take care of these guys first and catch up!"

"I'll help you!" He shouted through the doorway, about to take a step in my direction when I rushed forward and pushed him back into the main hallway.

"No! You have to go with the others!" I told him firmly, coughing from the smoke again. "You've got make sure there's not an ambush waiting and help them escape!"

"But you can't—" He started before I cut him off.

"I'll be fine!"

I gave another racking cough, and he remained in front of me. I hissed and gave him another shove outside. "I can handle it! NOW GO!"

He shot me another worried glance before nodding reluctantly and slowly jogging to the stairs with Golduck, his eyes never leaving me until they disappeared around the wall.

Giving a deep sigh that became another cough, I spun back around to assess the battle and saw that Blasty had taken a lot of damage, and the intense warmth and smoke wasn't doing him any good. The two guys, however, were completely untouchable in their little smoke-heat-and-fire-free dome created by their Pokemon.

"We'll get her someday," the blonde one growled angrily at me. "Even if it means taking you bothersome rebels down one by one!"

His Magmar suddenly let loose another Flame Burst that shot Blasty and I out into the hall. The guys entered the perfectly fine corridor right behind us, leaving the hotel room to burn itself out. Looking around frantically, I saw an elevator farther down the way and got up to run to it. I hadn't even taken a step before each of the Magmar shot a Flame Burst at Blasty and sent him crashing into me which sent us flying down the opposite way of where I wanted to go.

Slowly getting to my feet, I jumped when my fevered skin felt something cool and smooth through a small burnt hole in my shirt. Spinning around, I found that we were at the far end of the hall where a window was looking out at a tree-filled park. Seeing the five-story drop, I nervously turned back to the two advancing men and gulped.

They stopped five feet away from Blasty and me, crossing their arms as they came to a halt. My mind was starting to grow fuzzy from all the smoke I'd breathed in, but I forced it to stay clear. After a minute of silence, save for the faint crackling from the burning room, the brunette smirked and raised his hand in way of command, the sinister black pendent bracelet swinging slightly.

"You shouldn't have resisted us."

He barely flicked his wrist, and the Magmar in front of him proceeded to use a powerful Flame Burst that headed straight for me. Blasty sprang in its path to take the hit, but the force of the move thrust us both backwards into the window that shattered around us and gave way for our unbalanced forms to fall.

As my feet tipped over the pendulum of gravity at the window sill, I tried grabbing onto anything sturdy, but my hands only scratched a little on the broken glass, and I began the long plummet to the ground far below with Blasty. My voice was too hoarse to scream so I could only do it mentally as the air streamed over me and the treetops rushed up fast.

At the last second possible, Blasty was able to get beneath me and support my form before using Hydro Cannon with his back cannons in an attempt to cushion our fall. However, it was unable to do much for us in the end as it was a little too late, and we collided painfully with the park's thin forest.

Branches snapped all around us, and leaves were forcefully torn from their stems as we crashed from the very top of the tall oak trees right down to the very bottom. When we finally slammed into the grassy ground, both of us were paralyzed from the fall and couldn't move. I tried to lift my head up, but my body refused to do even that much.

There wasn't much time to worry about what was happening to me before the effects of the fire and smoke inhalation caught up way too fast, and I got a last glimpse at Blasty's motionless form, my eyes slamming shut as if in final condemnation.

* * *

Two men stood staring out a broken glass window, glimpsing in satisfaction at the two still figures that littered the ground below. The Magmar behind them tugged on their shirts and turned them around as a pixie-cut girl stood fuming at the opposite end of the hall with a rage that could rival that of the flaming room next to them.

"What did you do?!" She yelled furiously.

"We tried to capture the girl like you told us to," the brunette explained.

"But you didn't have to set the room ON FIRE!" The girl screamed with an angry wave of her arms.

"It was supposed to be a distraction," the blonde mumbled.

Her eye twitched, and she advanced slowly with trembling fists. "I'll show you a distraction…"

A loud pop from the still burning room caused all three of them to jump in surprise, and the girl face-palmed. "Stay here."

They watched curiously as she briskly walked into the room and slammed the door behind her. There was a high-pitched whirring noise that lasted for a few minutes before she reopened the door and beckoned them in.

The two of them did so nervously, stepping over a fallen piece of charred wood in the front hallway. Their jaws went slack, though, when they entered the main room. The entire fire had been put out, smoke coming off of nearly everything, but there wasn't a single drop of water. Of course, there was that of the trainers who had fought against them but nothing more.

They turned to her shocked. "How did you—"

"Not important right now," she interrupted them rapidly with a shake of her head. "Do you have any idea what you could have just done? You could've _killed_ her!"

The brunette shuffled anxiously. "We didn't mean to—"

"You never, and I mean _NEVER _carry out a plan that could endanger the mission!" She hissed, flicking a piece of fallen ash off her black-sleeved shoulder. "And especially one that you can't clean up after! I'm surprised the cops haven't already arrived yet!"

"No, but I have."

The three people turned at the low voice to see another boy standing near the front hall, his gold and silver yin yang barely visible in the smoldering light.

"What…in Arceus's great name…did you _do_, Melany?!" He screamed through clenched teeth.

Said girl sighed angrily and strode over to him. "Remind me to never let the lowers come up with a plan themselves ever again."

"Where are they?!" He demanded. His eyes seemed to grow both harder and wider as he said, "Did you kill them?!"

"My Lugia, no, Amber!" Melany shouted at him. She slapped her hand to her forehead and huffed. "Gah! I would never let that happen to them!"

Amber paused suddenly and stared at her. "You said them." His eyebrow rose. "Why them? I thought it was just her?"

She shook her head, ignoring his question and muttering to herself. "This isn't going according to plan at all! If only we had made it back to base with her…I could've gotten a hold of them while the powder wore off…"

Amber gawked at the white-blonde girl. "What are you talking about? Melany!"

She brought her eyes to his, and he could see in shock the hidden war waging in them. Her face softened slightly, and she looked nervously at her two henchmen who were watching them intently. Deciding to ignore them, she leaned in close to his ear. He waited silently for her voice, but before she could say anything, sirens sounded in the distance, and flashing lights began approaching fast. Pulling back quickly, she looked at him with slightly anguished eyes which he screamed mentally at.

_What's going on?! This girl is _Melany_! She doesn't feel remorse for anything! She's a cold-hearted criminal!_

Amber couldn't help the small thread of doubt that weaved its way into his mind though as she looked to the window and closed her eyes, breathing out slowly.

"Come on," she murmured to the three other guys in the room. "Let's get out of here."

Amber glanced out the window at the lights as she paced into the hallway, following after her along with the other two. Once outside, he shut the door and walked over to where she and her guys were bringing out their Flying types and jumping out the broken window, disappearing into the night.

He caught Melany's eyes for a moment, but she turned their deep blue irises away and latched onto her Venomoth. He watched her hover off and shook his head, releasing Baga outside the window where he beat his wings to stay aloft.

Amber got on his back and flew away from the hotel just as the first round of police cars and fire trucks arrived on the scene. As the noises started to fade behind him, he realized something. He really didn't know anything about his pixie-blonde co-worker.

His eyes found her form ahead in the dark, and they narrowed slightly.

Just who was Melany?

* * *

The darkness started slowly drifting away as my mind sluggishly came to, and the very first thing I did was give out a small groan.

Let me tell you something.

Never fall five stories into a thick-branched forest.

Your head WILL hurt in the morning.

My eyes popped open and stared at the bright blue sky as I realized that it was in fact morning, and I was actually alive. When I lifted my head, another shot of pain blazed through my insides, and I made contact with the ground again. I bit my lip a moment and froze when something shifted barely beside me.

Painfully whipping my head around at the noise, my eyes widened when I saw a little girl sitting there, maybe seven or eight years old with dark hair and eyes that watched me carefully as I stiffly got up into a sitting position.

We both stared at each other for a few minutes, the silence hanging in the air until I couldn't take it anymore. "Who are you?"

The little girl tilted her head. "Who are you?"

I chuckled a little, the small loss of oxygen leaving me breathless for a moment. "No, I asked you. You've got to answer first."

She chuckled a bit, too, and appeared to lose her breath a second. "No, I asked you. You've got to answer first."

My eyebrows scrunched, and I let out a sigh. "Okay…my name's Blue."

The girl scrunched her eyebrows and breathed out. "Okay…my name's Blue."

I frowned a little and crossed my arms. "No. I'm Blue."

She did the same. "No. I'm Blue."

I stared the strange girl down harshly and was surprised when she did the same right back at me. After a minute, I closed my eyes and started laughing lightly, amused at the thought that she believed she could beat me in a stubborn contest. I mean, if this girl really thought that, she needed to go see Crystal. Even _I_ couldn't compete with those pig-headed pigtails.

I stopped laughing when she started doing it to and looked at me with wide eyes. "Are you really Blue?"

I huffed with a smile. "Oh? So we've deciding to cut the mimicking, eh copycat?"

She gasped suddenly and squished her little cheeks with her hands. "The famous Blue knows who I am?!" My mouth dropped open a little in surprise—I swear, I'd just come with that nickname on the spot—and she narrowed her eyes and placed her fingers back in her lap. "That is, if you really are her."

My scoff came out offended just like it was supposed to. "What do you mean if? I am _the_ Blue. One and only!"

The little girl put her chin on her fists and smirked. "We'll have to see about that. I know everything about Blue—she's my idol. No one knows her better than I do!"

I puffed my cheeks and turned my whole body toward her, wincing at the strain in my muscles. "Try me."

"Okay." She narrowed her eyes again. "What's Blue's last name?"

"Ao." The answer was as easy as blinking to me.

"Her birthday?"

"June 1st."

"Blood type?"

"B."

She smiled slyly. "Love interest?"

I didn't even pause. "Green." My eyes widened, and my jaw went slack. "Wait, what?!"

The little girl burst into a loud fit of giggles while I did my best to tone down the red that was showing up on my face. "What kind of a question is that?! If I had to pick anybody, it'd be someone more like Red who actually dares to show some emotion to the world! Why would I ever say Green?!"

She smiled widely, showing her small pearl-white teeth. "Because you love him."

My face morphed into shock. "I do not!"

The resistance only made her smile more and start laughing again. "Lulu loves Green!"

"I do not!" By now I was trying to stand up, but as soon as I got to a knee, I gritted my teeth and keeled over. My skin was taut from the minor burns, and I could feel the wind through multiple tiny holes in my singed shirt. The little girl softly pushed me back on the ground.

"Lulu's hurt," she squeaked out worriedly, glancing at the slight burns on my arms.

"Eh, it's not that bad. Just a little sting," I smiled at her. My lips quickly turned into a grimace as she frowned and gently prodded one of the burns.

"More than a sting," she said smartly.

I pursed my lips. "Okay, so maybe it does hurt a bit more than that." Then I remembered that I hadn't fallen alone and frantically looked around for Blasty. "Have you seen a Blastoise anywhere?"

The little girl nodded and picked up a Pokeball from out of my field of vision. Peering through the clear sphere, I saw Blasty lying down asleep, the minor burns he'd also had completely erased from his skin and shell.

My mouth hung open a little as I said, "H-how did…"

She smiled and reached for a small bag at her side, revealing it to be chocked full of potions and berries of all sorts. "I had some Burn Heals so I made him feel all better and found his Pokeball to return him!" She frowned as her eyes found my injuries again. "I would've used some on Lulu, but I don't have any more."

"That's okay," I told her a little uncertainly. "They're supposed to be used on Pokemon anyway."

The dark-haired girl shook her head. "I use them all the time." She grinned mischievously. "They help keep me from getting in trouble with Mummy when I get hurt outdoors."

I chuckled and glanced around, not seeing anyone else in the area. "Where is your mother?"

She lost her smile and looked down. "I ran away from home."

I eyed her curiously. "Now why would you do that?"

She shuffled her hands across the ground uncomfortably and took a Pokeball from her bag which I could see contained a Chansey. "I found Chan-chan's Pokeball in the woods one day and made friends. When I took her home, Mummy said that she was a missing Pokemon from the Pokemon Center that belonged to Nurse Joy and that I had to return her." She hugged the Pokeball tight, and I could see the Chansey snuggle close to her from inside. "But I love Chan-chan! I don't want to say good-bye!"

"But you shouldn't have run off by yourself," I told her sternly. "Your mother must be worried about you!"

"I don't care!" She yelled defiantly. "I'm not going back until Mummy stops trying to take Chan-chan away!"

Her black eyes were growing shiny, and my heart stopped at the sight of them. It was just so sad. Deciding to come back to it again a little later, I tried sitting up again. "So you never did tell me your name."

She scrunched her eyebrows. "But you already know it."

I tilted my head. "…Copycat? That's your name?"

She smiled brightly. "My real name is C.C., but that's what everyone normally calls me."

I smirked. "Because you mimic them?"

She nodded shyly.

I giggled at her and finally managed to lean back against a tree. "So what does C.C. stand for?"

"Charlotte Christina." She stuck her tongue out and placed Chan-chan's Pokeball on the ground. "But I don't like it! Copycat's much more fun!"

I smiled at her and winced as my back rubbed against the bark. Copycat noticed my discomfort and searched her bag again, coming up negative for anything useful just like last time. Sensing my pain, she set her little face, checked the contents of her sack, and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I called out as I saw her start to walk away.

She turned back and smiled. "Don't worry! I'm going to get some medicine to make Lulu feel better!" The little girl then went back to her skipping and pranced out of sight.

Leaning my head back against the tree, I caught sight of Blasty's Pokeball and brought it up to my face. I took a look at his peaceful slumber and smiled.

"At least you're back to normal," I murmured. "I'm all burnt and bruised. Heh, I don't even know how the others…"

My eyes went wide, and I quickly replaced Blasty's Pokeball with my Pokegear. When I clicked the power on, I found that there were quite a few messages and mixed calls all from Red, Green, and Silver. However, when I hit the send button to get a hold of them, there was a crackling noise, and the screen read error. Hissing in frustration, I tried again several more times but to no avail.

So let's recap a bit, shall we?

I was now unable to move around on my own, stuck in the park in the middle of Saffron City, and couldn't even get ahold of my friends to find out where they were. And my only means of help was an eight year-old girl who refused to go home.

I sighed.

No biggie.

I checked my Pokegear again and found that it was close to eleven in the morning. Letting out a pained breath that turned into a cough, I choked out the rest of the smoke from my lungs and laid back down.

"A nap couldn't hurt…" I murmured to myself, my eyes already slamming shut once more. I must have been really tired out from the fire and my injuries because my mind blacked out in exactly .2 seconds. But it seemed to take exactly that long for it to pop back on as something nudged my arm, and I snatched it painfully on reflex.

"Lulu?"

I glanced up to see Copycat looking at me worriedly, her little cheeks flushed from running and her bag a bit bulkier.

"Sorry," I apologized as she kneeled down. "I fell asleep."

She nodded and started rummaging through her pack. "I guess I was gone a while."

I leaned against the tree behind me again and stretched my legs out in front of me. "Nah, it's only been a few minutes."

She stopped searching and looked at me funny. "No it hasn't."

I huffed with a small smile. "Yeah, it has. I just fell asleep like two seconds ago."

She closed her dark eyes and shrugged before going back to her bag's contents. "Didn't seem like that to me."

I watched her for a moment and pulled my Pokegear back out, my eyebrow arching when I saw that it was actually now half past one. "Guess that's because it actually hasn't."

The little girl giggled and brought her hand back out with a bundle of blue berries. She beckoned me to open my mouth and handed me one. "Here! Something to make Lulu feel better!"

I observed it curiously. "Isn't this a…?"

"Rawst Berry!" She cheered. Her face went sheepish as she said, "I tried selling some of my other stuff to get more Burn Heals, but I didn't have enough so I got these instead! They're supposed to work the same way!"

I smiled sadly at her. "You didn't have to spend all your money on me."

She shook her head sternly and grinned. "I don't mind! After all, it's for Lulu!"

I chuckled at her and popped the berry in my mouth. "So how exactly did I get a fan?"

She giggled as the juices from the berry entered my system and began to put me at ease. "My uncle Todd likes to take pictures of Pokemon." When I motioned for her to go on, she sighed a little. "He was the one who documented that big event in Hoenn."

I tilted my head. "You mean the Battle Frontier? That photographer was your uncle?"

She nodded. "Professor Oak let him go take pictures at this Pokemon island so he's not here right now, but he stopped by after he got back from Hoenn. He told me all about what happened, and he showed me the tournament all the Dex Holders did. And you were my favorite right from the beginning!"

I blushed and waved a hand, remembering not even a month ago when Emerald saved me and the others from petrification. The tournament had been a few days after my birthday—which I had missed due to being a figure of stone—and I was quite surprised when Green's grandfather called for a reunion so soon after we got back home. I discovered the motive behind it though when we met Diamond, Pearl, and Platinun; and Ruby introduced us to the Unova kids.

I paused a moment when I realized that I was feeling well enough to actually flick my hand. I touched my wrist and twisted it around in glee, checking on my other burns to see that although they were still causing me some pain, it wasn't as bad as before.

"The Rawst Berries are working!" I said cheerfully.

"Yay!" Copycat exclaimed in a similar tone. "Have another one!"

I took the offered berry and munched on it, gradually working my way through the pile until they were all gone. The heavy dose of natural remedy made me a bit sleepy so for the second time today, I laid down to rest up, and Copycat brought out Chan-chan to play while I let my injuries heal. My eyes were drooping on me, but I still got a glimpse of the little girl's laughter before my mind drifted in oblivion.

Sometime later, a bit after four according to my Pokegear, I groggily sat up to find Copycat staring off into the distance, her face slightly turned up in sorrow. Recognizing that look, I silently moved a hand out to touch her arm, but when I bent my elbow, one of the burns cracked, and I winced. The action attracted the girl's attention, and she anxiously searched her bag for anymore berries.

"I don't think they're going to do much more," I said doubtfully, examining my rigid wounds and noticing how multiple berries had been as effective as the first. Nervous as to how she would react, I decided to retouch the whole home subject carefully. "Um, where do you live?"

"On the north side of town," she told me absentmindedly, still looking through her bag. "Mummy runs a homemade remedy shop so that's why I have so many different healing items."

My ears perked up at that. "Maybe we should go there then."

She frowned at me and put her pack down. "I don't want to go home, Lulu!"

"I understand that," I tried to calm her down. "But you can't just keep avoiding the issue like this."

"But what if Chan-chan still has to go away?! I don't want Chan-chan to go away!"

I huffed softly. "Talk to your mom about it. I'm sure you guys can work things out. Isn't it better to face your problems rather than running away from them?"

I breathed in sharply as my own words struck a chord in me, and I stared at the sky for a minute. After a while of stillness, I sighed, a silent decision made in my head. Maybe it was about time I followed my own advice.

I looked at her and smiled. "Besides, I need something stronger than Rawst Berries to get better."

It took a while, but finally the girl nodded reluctantly. Glancing at the Pokeball in her bag, her bottom lip quivered.

I grinned even wider at the girl and started standing up sorely using the tree for support. "Everything will be fine. I promise."

She looked at me with her big dark eyes and smiled a little. "Okay. I trust Lulu."

I gave a small laugh and placed Blasty's Pokeball in my shoulder bag. Packing everything she had out, she came to my side and did the best she could to help me walk. It was a bit difficult at first because I hadn't moved in over twelve hours, but eventually the stiffness faded, and I was able to stop leaning on her so much. The smoke seemed to have cleared itself from my system as I only coughed a few times while we maneuvered our way through the streets of Saffron.

An hour later, she turned us onto a lane full of suburban homes and stopped us after a few houses at one in a bright yellow color. She set me against the porch railing and hesitantly approached the door. She looked back at me, and only when I gave her a wave of encouragement did she ring the doorbell to see if her mom was home at the moment. The door was open in a flash, revealing a woman in her thirties with long dark hair and eyes that matched Copycat's. I could tell in an instant that it was her mother as the lady let out a cry and embraced the little girl.

"Where have you been?!" She shouted frantically. "I've been worried sick!"

Copycat looked like she was about to cry and buried her head in the woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mummy! I didn't want Chan-chan to go away!"

The woman shushed her until her tears went away and stroked her hair. "That's okay. We'll talk about that later. I'm just glad you're home."

They were about through the doorway when Copycat ran out again and pulled her mother along. "Wait! I've brought someone home!"

"Honey," she said firmly. "We don't have room for one of your friends to stay over right now…"

Her voice cut off as she saw me there leaning on the wooden railing and smiling.

"Um…hi," I said uncertainly.

"Mummy!" The little girl yelled excitedly. "This is Blue! Remember? Uncle Todd?!"

The mother's hand went to her mouth, and she rushed up to me, staring at my burns. "My Mew! What happened to you?" She flicked the question away and carefully took my arm. "Never mind that! Let's get you inside! I've got something that can help!" I slowly walked towards the door with her and glanced at the woman curiously as she smiled to herself and looked at me. "You have no idea how well this works out."

My eyes grew wary. "How so?"

My question was soon answered as we walked past the door and was met with a mob of stares, my knees almost melting in relief when I found that I knew each one of them.

"Blue!" White dashed for me like a Ninjask on caffeine, crushing me in a hug before realizing I was hurt. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," I wheezed out, smiling at her until I was assaulted by everyone else.

Black did likewise as White, but Green and Silver were a bit gentler about it. Red waited until Copycat's mom had placed me on one of two sofas—the other of which was occupied by a still sleeping Yellow—in the large living room to take his turn.

"Are you okay?" He questioned worriedly.

"She will be once I give her some medicine," the dark-haired woman told us. She ran into another room and quickly came back with a Burn Heal. "You're not supposed to use these on people, but I need those burns to heal fast before they get infected. You'll just get a little drowsy, dear."

I nodded, and she sprayed the potion on the wounds all over me. Almost instantly, I felt tired all over again. I chuckled mentally. _I've been sleeping a lot today. _My eyes fluttered shut, and I could sense everyone moving around me. I froze for a moment when someone's fingers grazed over my treated injuries and forced my eyes back open. They met with forest green ones that seemed to laugh in relief yet yell in frustration at the same time.

"You can handle it, huh?"

I was just able to roll my eyes at the stoic brunette until they closed again, and exhaustion overwhelmed me. I might've imagined it, but I thought I felt someone softly combing the ends of my hair, the soothing motions making me smile before I blacked out.

* * *

Me: *cuts design in pumpkin while grumbling* For your information I heard that in the disclaimer. *mutters* I'm not a clutz.

Gardevoir: *smirks* I know.

Me: *glares and finishes design* There! All done!

Gardevoir: *does the same and critique's mine* ...well...let's just say it looked better before you hacked and slashed at it.

Me: *growls* I'll hack and slash at you!

Gardevoir: *widens eyes and runs away* Ah! You don't want to hurt me! You're a nice person!

Me: It's Halloween month! Nobody's themself!

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop and raises fist* Curse you creator of that stupid holiday!

Me: *runs faster* Come back here! *smiles at readers* She's right. I'm not normally like this, but hey! Nobody disses my pumpkin! Hehe! Review and return!


	4. Chapter 4: Green Dust Mystery

Me: *drops from ceiling* Boo!

Gardevoir: *rolls eyes and sidesteps*

*SPLAT*

Gardevoir: Sigh...that wasn't even scary, you know.

Me: *painfully stands up* Well excuse me for not being Slenderman.

Gardevoir: Huh?

Me: He's this faceless guy in a suit from an online game called Slenderman who follows the player around and tries to kill them.

Gardvoir: *frowns* Delightful.

Me: *grimaces* Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wipe this blood from my nose! *slams bathroom door*

*knock on front door*

Gardevoir: *groan* Now who is it?! *opens door but no one's there* Weird. *shuts it and turns around*

*knock on front door*

Gardevoir: *quickly opens it again but no one's there* Okay, Eon. Stop messing around! This isn't even scary! *slams door shut and sees a figure move outside the window*

*pots clang loudly in the kitchen*

Gardevoir: *looks around nervously* This is getting weird. **Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. **

* * *

Chapter Four: Green

I could tell when Blue had transitioned from consciousness to dead sleep by the speed of her breathing, and once it'd slowed down enough, I retracted my fingers from her hair and looked across the room to see Red watching.

"What did she get herself into?" He said with a shake of his head. He shifted on the arm of the couch Yellow was lying on and frowned. "We shouldn't have left her behind."

I clenched my fist. "She didn't give me a choice! You think I enjoyed walking out of there without her?"

He held up his hands to calm me down. "No! I just wish she wasn't so stubborn!"

I grunted in agreement and turned to see Black coming down the stairs. "Where are the towels again?"

Red glanced at him and flicked his hand upwards. "Top cabinet over the sink."

Black smiled a thanks and ran back upstairs to shower—something all of us had missed out on the past couple of days. Mrs. Sage, the lady who was kindly housing us, had a son along with her daughter, and luckily, he was the same age as Red and I. We'd already taken a shower each and were fitted in some of his clothes. It seemed like they'd do the same for Black and Silver, and it was proved true for the latter as he trotted down the carpeted steps, his red hair still a little wet.

He seemed quite comfortable in that big gray sweatshirt, and the mother of its owner smiled at him as she walked into the room from the kitchen. "I'm glad to see it fits," she said cheerily.

"Yes, thank you," Silver told her politely, quite a change from his normal glaring demeanor.

"Oh, it's no problem," she smiled at all of us before heading back to the kitchen where she was cooking supper with a freshly cleaned White wearing some of her old clothes. "After what you kids have done for everyone of Kanto, it's the least I can do."

My eyes trailed after her before finding Silver's. "Have you told her why we're really here?"

He shook his head, and I nodded. "Probably best not to."

Last night after escaping the burning hotel room, the six of us hadn't gotten too far before our burns and smoke-filled lungs had us all crashing to the ground. When we'd come to, we were disoriented and quite surprised to find ourselves in someone's house. Mrs. Sage had then introduced herself and told us that she'd carried us back to her home with her Machamp. We'd been a little uncertain about staying, but with our injuries and nowhere else to go, we didn't exactly have a choice.

The woman was kindhearted, though, treating our wounds with her homemade remedies and giving us clothes to change into. We'd decided to keep her in the dark about our current situation, and she'd been considerate enough to refrain from asking questions.

"Not to what?" came a small voice from the stairs.

"I-It's nothing," Red chuckled a little nervously at the little girl that emerged. He'd never been very good at lying. "Don't worry about it."

Her dark eyes narrowed but said nothing, the girl shyly turning to me and coming to Blue's side. "Is Lulu okay yet?"

I looked at the side of her face as she watched the singed Cheshire sleep, and her sweet worry softened my voice. "Not quite, but she should be alright in the morning."

She only nodded and glanced up as Mrs. Sage appeared at the kitchen doorway. "C.C., come help me get the plates ready."

The little girl nodded and followed her back into the kitchen where I could see White finish making a batch of Cinnabar Burgers. Silver walked around to the back of the couch behind Blue and me and shook his head at her.

I nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"At least she got back here safe," he muttered. "It was a good thing that she met Mrs. Sage's daughter along the way."

"Didn't I tell you to call me Janie?" The woman said smartly, suddenly appearing by the doorway again and surprising all three of us. She chuckled and gave a small laugh before beckoning us into the kitchen. "Let's go. Soup's on!"

Silver looked back at us before following her in, and I got up to do the same, remembering that Black was still upstairs. "I hope Black comes down soon. He won't get anything to eat once you reach the table."

Red looked up at that and smirked. "Hey…" The smile fell from his face though when he got to his feet and glanced at Yellow. Giving her a little shove, he huffed with a tone containing both frustration and worry. "Okay. Something's wrong, Green. She should've woken up by now."

I mentally counted the hours in my head and nodded in agreement. Going to his side, I looked at the girl and examined her sleeping figure with a finger beneath my chin. "It doesn't look like there's anything wrong—internally that is. If she had some kind of poison, she would've showed some other reaction a long time ago."

"Then what could it be?" He asked himself fretfully.

I narrowed my eyes as something shimmered lightly in her hair. When I reached out for it, the change in light refraction made it disappear, and I backed up until I saw it again. Memorizing its location, I quickly snatched it from her hair. Red watched in confusion as I held it up to the light where it glimmered again.

It was a small grain of powder that had a light-greenish tint but remained mostly clear. It was no bigger than a seed from an Aspear Berry, but I kept it away from me just in case. I had a good feeling that this was what was causing our little sleeping problem.

"What is it?" Red questioned me, tilting his head to get a better look at it.

"I have no idea," I told him truthfully. Glancing back at her hair, I pried it apart in case there were anymore. Finding some, I plucked the rest out until I had a small handful of the powder. "I think this is the whole dose Amber used."

"So what do we do with it?" Red looked back at Yellow. "We don't know anything about it so how are we supposed to figure out how to reverse its effects?"

"Had things been normal, I would've taken it to the lab," I said, reaching into my bag to bring out an empty Zinc jar that I'd forgotten to get rid of sometime ago. After carefully placing the powder inside and sealing the lid shut, I put it on the table. "But seeing how they're not, we're going to need to send it to one of the other professors to look at." I frowned. "That's going to be a little difficult, though."

"Why?" Red stared at me curiously. "There's a Pokemon Center down the street with tons of video phones. We can just send it through the transporter."

"No, that's exactly what we _can't_ do," I stated. "We have no idea of what means Melany has of tracking us. So if we leave less for her to work with, there's a better chance that we can keep ourselves hidden."

"So we can't even stay at the Pokemon Centers anymore?" His eyes widened in surprise as I shook my head, and he growled. "I hate all this hiding and running."

Black came rushing down the stairs before I could say anything and stood beside us, rubbing the back of his damp head. "Is it supper time yet?" He got a glimpse of the Zinc jar on the table and scrunched his eyebrows. "What's that?"

I glanced at him sternly. "We'll tell you later. Go have something to eat."

He nodded quickly at the look on my face and headed for the kitchen.

"So which professor are you going to send it to?"

I thought a moment about Red's question and looked at the powder again. "Well, Gramps and Juniper are a no-go seeing as how she's showing him her research in Unova; I met Professor Rowan at the Reunion and he told me that he was conducting a research on two mysterious islands in Sinnoh; and Sapphire's father is still most likely looking into the appearance of Jirachi from our little adventure. So that only leaves Professor Elm."

"But Crystal said he called her on account of a new project," Red mumbled disappointedly.

"But Gold and Emerald went with them, right?" I reminded him. When he nodded, I said, "That means there's one more extra hand at the lab that can do some research on it."

He tilted his head. "One?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think Gold's even allowed to go inside the building?"

The red-eyed boy thought about it a moment before shaking his head. "So how are we going to send it to them? We don't even have access to a video phone."

"I don't know." I picked up the Zinc jar and placed it in my bag. "Maybe Mrs. Sage does. We can ask later."

Red nodded and gave Yellow another worried look before following me to the dining room where everybody was eating White's Cinnabar Burgers. As we sat down and merged ourselves into the activity, I quietly watched in surprise as Red ate near to nothing. Mrs. Sage kept offering him something now and then, but he continued to politely refuse. When the meal finally concluded, I narrowed my eyes at him and loomed over the boy as he took his seat by Yellow in the living room again.

"Not eating anything won't help the situation," I told him smartly.

He didn't answer, only staring at Yellow's slow breathing. "I just don't get it, Green."

I sighed and sat down at Blue's feet on the other couch. "I know."

We didn't say much else as the time passed by, and everyone started getting around for bed. Black and Silver ended up in Mrs. Sage's son's room, Red and I refused to sleep anywhere else but near the couches, and Copycat got a new roommate who she had made quick friends with at dinner.

The little dark-haired girl stopped by Blue's side where I was lying down on the ground while everyone else headed off for their designated rooms. Her matching eyes grew shiny for a moment, and she kissed the brunette's forehead, pulling a blanket from the back of the couch and draping it over her. Looking at me, she demanded as sternly as an eight year-old could, "Watch over Lulu."

I silently huffed with a smile and nodded. Satisfied with my answer, her little feet flew as she ran upstairs to join White in her room. Giving a sigh, I rolled my eyes as I heard Red already softly snoring and closed them in an attempt at sleep. It was quite hard to do though with concern about Blue running through my head. I commenced to banging it hard with my fist and snorting. Since when did I worry about the Pesky Woman? If she wanted to get into trouble, that was fine by me!

I opened my eyes and looked up to see a wisp of her hair hanging over the side of the couch and sighed. Who was I kidding?

With that thought, I forced my mind to shut down and get some sleep. It was back up not that much later, my hand holding my head as I sat up. My Pokegear read five 'til eleven, and the room was pitch black except for a single candle that burned in the kitchen, barely illuminating the darkness out here in the living room.

When I get myself to tune out again, I sighed and sat up, grabbing the TV remote and clicking it on. My fingers instantly went to the volume and turned it down until the people on the screen were almost inaudible. From the looks of it, the show was some sort of soap opera, and I quickly changed the channel with a roll of my eyes.

Chin in hand and hand on knee, I lazily surfed the stations, passing many late night shows and weather broadcastings until stopping on one that had the local news. The lady's lips were moving, but I was paying more attention to the picture behind her than the soft voice coming from the speakers.

It was the hotel we'd first stayed at, a thin trail of smoke escaping from a window and frozen in the image. Slowly moving the volume up, I quit when I could just hear what she was saying.

"…and firefighters arrived at the scene not long after the flames had first been reported, but what mystified the authorities was that they had already been put out."

My eyes widened as she went on.

"Police found some quantity of water in the remains of the room but say it wasn't anywhere near enough to have put out the fire. Investigators are currently looking into the matter, but it is still a mystery as is the location of the party responsible and those who had been staying there."

I stared at the burning window image until it blinked out to make way for one of a Growlithe standing in front of a market entrance. "And in other news, a local pet has turned out…"

My finger numbly hit the mute button. I set the remote down and leaned back on the couch, my eyebrows scrunching as I placed a hand on my chin and pondered over the broadcast. There were only two easy ways to put out a fire; either douse it with water or cut off its oxygen supply. But that usually only worked for those on a small scale.

I thought back to the raging inferno we'd woken up to yesterday and shook my head. There was no way it could've run out of oxygen before the police arrived.

I arched an eyebrow. So what exactly happened?

"Strange, huh?"

My head whipped up in surprise to see Blue sitting on the couch, her back against the cushions as she lightly rubbed her eyes. I got up and sat next to her as she gave a yawn.

"Sleep well?" I asked expectantly.

"Mhm," she mumbled tiredly.

"Feeling better?" I whispered after a glance at the sleeping Red.

She nodded.

My eyes narrowed. "Good. That means I can do this."

Snatching her wrist, I dragged her blanket-covered body to the front door, only having to deal with a few sleep-weakened struggles. I quietly turned the knob and pulled the two of us onto the porch where there was an outside settee and table set that she immediately collapsed on, her weary eyes already closing again.

"What was that for?" She said irritated.

I loomed over her stretched-out form, my eye almost twitching. "Are you kidding me?! Blue, you could've died last night!"

"I'm fine," the girl muttered through the pillows. She slowly pushed herself upright, and I could see her face slightly twist up at the light strain.

"See?! You got hurt pretty bad. You should've gotten a glimpse of yourself when Mrs. Sage brought you in. I swear it was like you were walking charcoal! You're lucky her daughter found you when she did!"

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" She gave a deep sigh and showed me her healed arms. "And my burns are all gone. I'm just a bit sore from falling five stories." Her bitter voice cut off at the angry shock on my face. "Oops. Forgot to mention that didn't I?"

"You fell off a building?!" I fumed.

She clicked her tongue. "Technically, it was out of a window…"

I grabbed my head and looked up. "I don't care _how_ it happened!" I sighed angrily. "Did you purposefully not try to call us for help or something?"

"You know, I think getting knocked unconscious and almost giving myself a concussion excuses me from that," she told me smartly as I sat down beside her.

"Then why wouldn't you let me stay?" I asked, closing my eyes and leaning on the back of the couch.

"Because I could take care of those morons," she said, wrapping up in her blanket even though it actually wasn't all that cold.

"And look where that train of thought got you," I muttered. Letting out a breath to calm myself, I turned to look at her. My eyes found hers in the dark, and for some reason or another, she flicked them away to watch the glowing lights of downtown Saffron in the distance.

Seeing as how it appeared she was done talking, I slowly tore my gaze from her and did the same. The chorus of the night was calming to my ears, and I was about ready to nod off when her voice sounded next to me, soft as the wind.

"I guess it's because I didn't want anything to happen to you."

It was a second before the annoyance kicked in. "I can very well take care of myself, Blue."

She gave an angry huff and stood up with her blanket. "That's not what I meant." She stalked towards the door muttering to herself. "I swear you're turning into Red."

I scrunched my eyebrows, and my eyes widened a little as I reran her words through my head. I got to my feet and took a step after her.

"Blue…"

She paused and turned her head back at me, a splash of rose on her slightly hard face. She frowned slightly as I walked up to her, the blanket billowing around her ankles in the breeze.

My jaw was slack as I searched for something to say, but no words came to mind. I mean, you can't blame me. When does Blue ever say something like _that_?

Her eyes softened at my confused face, and I turned it away. The action made her giggle a little, and I became a statue of ice as she suddenly leaned forward and kissed my cheek. When she pulled back a moment later, she smiled at me. "Greeny loves me."

My mouth opened to give the usual, 'I do not' but stopped. Instead, I hung my head and sighed with a corner of my lips curved up. "Pesky woman."

She just stuck her tongue out teasingly and tugged the blanket tighter before heading for the door again. I stared after her as she slipped inside and blushed brightly when she caught me watching and laughed until closing the door behind her.

I growled lightly at myself and sat back down on the couch, doing everything possible to get rid of the heat in my cheeks. When it continued to remain, I gave an angry scoff and face-palmed.

_Stupid emotions._

Shaking my head, I watched the vaguely pulsing lights far off, wondering what had happened to me over the past couple of weeks. I was never this…defensive before. Okay, yes I fought with all I had at the Battle Frontier just recently, but even then there hadn't been this super strong urge to protect Blue like there was now. I frowned. Maybe it was because the whole episode in the digital world was the first time she'd almost died on me. I looked up at the sky and sighed. Maybe not. Either way, I had something new to deal with—because this feeling was holding on tight and showed no signs of letting go.

After mulling over my thoughts for a while, I sighed again and pushed off the cushions, quietly leaving the outside world for the inside to try to go to sleep once more. The TV was still on, and I turned it off before settling on the blanket bed I'd made on the ground and closing my eyes. It wasn't as hard to fall asleep as last time, and I wasted no time doing so, the redness finally leaving my face as I blacked out.

* * *

I was up long before anyone else, clear-headed by eight in the morning and folding up my blankets. Carefully stepping over Red, I passed between the couches into the kitchen to look for something to eat. To my surprise, Mrs. Sage was already awake and cooking a big breakfast at the stove.

"First one up again, huh?" She questioned once noticing my presence. Putting down her spatula with a smile, she found an empty plate and filled it with eggs, bacon, and a variety of berries from her garden in the backyard. "Seeing as how this also happened yesterday, I'd guess you're the early riser of the bunch."

I nodded and hesitantly reached for the plate. She laughed at me and shoved it in my hand. "Don't be shy! I made enough for everyone!"

As she went back to the stove and I sat down at the table, I could see she was right. The counters were littered with multiple platters of fresh hot pancakes and french toast along with the ones that my eggs and bacon had come from. Bowls full of berries filled the spaces in between and near to none of the surface beneath was visible.

"I never got a chance to ask you guys yesterday," the woman said as I ate the first forkful of eggs. "What brought you guys out to Saffron?"

I paused a moment, trying to come up with a story. After a short period of silence, I told her, "We were just passing through on our way to Celadon City. Blue wanted to give Black and White a tour of as many cities in Kanto that she could."

"That sounds fun! Can I come, too?"

Mrs. Sage and I turned to see her daughter standing in the doorway, her Persian-print pajamas shifting as she ran up and sat down in the chair beside me. "I wanna go with Lulu!"

Mrs. Sage chuckled at her and flipped the last pancake onto a platter. "Do you really think he'll take you along? He's never even met you, dear."

The little girl spun back around to me and grinned wildly. "Hi! I'm C.C., but everyone calls me Copycat!"

I swallowed the mouthful I'd just taken. "My name's Green."

Her grin widened, and she got this knowing look in her eye which was quite unusual for an eight year-old. "I know who you are."

I raised an eyebrow. "You do, eh?"

She nodded with a teeth-showing smile. "Of course."

"Why would that be?" I asked a bit warily.

"Because Lulu's my idol!" She shrieked happily. "I know everything about her!"

I rolled my eyes. "And I fit in how?"

She smiled evilly and beckoned for me to lean closer. Giving a sigh, I did so until she was close enough to whisper in my ear—which she did and told me one of the most unexpected things I'd ever heard.

"Lulu loves Green!"

I pulled back sharply to stare at the girl, and she giggled, putting a finger to her lips. "Don't tell Lulu I told you!"

I just looked at her. After a second of silence, a chuckle quickly rose in my throat, and I burst out laughing. Copycat soon followed suit, and the sound of our merriment filled the house. It took a few minutes, but finally we were able to control ourselves to talk normally again.

"So can I? Can I?" She asked excitedly.

I frowned uncertainly, but thankfully Mrs. Sage answered for me. "C.C., I don't really think it's a good idea. Besides, who would look after Chan-chan while you're gone?"

Copycat's head drooped for a second before popping back up in ecstasy. "Wait! Does this mean I can keep Chan-chan?!"

Her mother paused in surprise and tried to find the right words. "N-no, we still haven't discussed it yet. She doesn't belong to us." Giving a sigh, she walked up to the little girl and gently pushed her towards the doorway. "Now, why don't you go wake everyone up? It's time for breakfast."

"Okay!" She said brightly, leaping from her chair and racing out of the room. As she disappeared around the corner, Red trudged into view, rubbing his eye as he slowly strode in our direction.

"Did I actually just hear Green laughing?" Apparently he was awake enough to feign disbelief, and I rolled my eyes as he plopped down in a chair and Mrs. Sage gave him a plate piled high with pancakes and such. The promise of food instantly made his eyes brighten, and he immediately set to digging into it as soon as he got a fork.

Proceeding to do the same, I didn't notice Mrs. Sage sit down until her piercing gaze caused us both to slowly stop and look up at her. The woman's eyes were narrowed slightly but with curiosity rather than suspicion.

"Why are you guys here?" I was opening my mouth to repeat what I told her, but she stopped me with shake of her head. "And don't even give me that phony story you said earlier. There's no way that explanation fits with how I found you guys the other night."

My eyes widened slightly at her keen observation, and I looked to Red whose cheeks were filled up like a Rattata's. His expression was similar to mine, and after a second, he shrugged his shoulders and swallowed.

"It's not like it's a big secret or anything," he said simply.

Going back to his plate and leaving me to do the explaining, I sighed at him and turned to Mrs. Sage who was patiently waiting. "Let me just put it simply; a few weeks ago, these strange people began trying to kidnap Yellow."

The woman gasped as to be expected and glanced behind her at the living room. "That's awful! Who are they?"

"We're not sure," I admitted. "But for some reason, they've been intent on getting her. Even going to the point of setting our hotel room on fire."

"So that's why you kids were all burned up like that," she murmured to herself.

I nodded. "They were almost successful at their last attempt, and ever since then…Yellow hasn't woken up."

Red stiffened beside me, and Mrs. Sage's eyes grew large. "That's so strange…"

Red could only nod, slowly putting his fork down as I said, "Yesterday, we found this powder in her hair that we think might be responsible, but we're not sure. Would you by chance have access to a transporter that I could send it to Professor Elm for observation?"

Mrs. Sage shook her head ruefully. "I'm afraid not. But there is a Pokemon Center just down the street. You could go there."

"We'd rather not. Just in case these people are tracking us. We want to stay as hidden as possible."

She nodded slightly at this in agreement. "I don't blame you."

Footsteps sounded through the house as Copycat tromped down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, a sleepy-eyed Black, White, and Silver filing in behind her. "I got them up!" She announced cheerfully. "Now it's time for Lulu!"

The three weary teens joined us at the table as she dashed back out of the room. Getting up to get them some food, Mrs. Sage quickly returned with three more plates which were set in front of each new arrival. As if he was Red's clone, Black started shoveling bacon into his mouth, and White smacked his arm for being so rude before starting in on her own. Silver, however, looked at me and narrowed his eyes, completely ignoring the dish before him.

"What's that powder near your bag?" His voice sounded curious, but I could hear the wariness in it, too.

"Stuff from Yellow's hair," Red said shortly. The two Unova kids stopped and looked at him as he finished. "We think it's what's keeping her from waking up."

"What does it look like?" Black mused aloud, absentmindedly chewing on a Cheri Berry.

I stood up and went for the living room. "I'll go get it."

Their voices became muffled by the walls as I left the kitchen and found Copycat watching Blue with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" I came up beside her and saw the answer for myself.

The blue-eyed girl was tossing and turning violently in her sleep, regardless of the fact that she should've already been awake from Copycat's shoving. Her feet had kicked off the blanket over her, and her entire body thrashed wildly around in a panicked frenzy.

"Lulu?" The dark-haired girl whispered as Blue's face scrunched up and she bit her lip.

"Blue?" I grabbed her shoulders and stopped her from throwing herself around. "Blue!"

Her eyes snapped open in an instant, and I could see they were filled with fear. Her final position had been with her arms sprawled out and body pushed against the back of the couch as if she was trying to get away from something. She was panting heavily, and my eyes widened as she frantically glanced around before sighing and slumping down with her shoulders hunched.

"Are you okay, Lulu?!" Copycat asked distressed.

Blue gave a shaky laugh and nodded. "Fine, fine! Just a…bad dream is all!"

The little girl didn't seem to notice the miniscule pause in her words, her face lighting up with an idea. "I know! I'll got get you my old dream catcher! That way, Lulu won't have any more!"

Blue just watched her dash upstairs, sighing once she was gone. I got on my knees and looked her in the eye. "Another nightmare?"

She nodded barely, and I helped her up, grabbing the Zinc jar from the table in the process. "Come on. You're going to want to hear this."

"Hear what?" She said quietly, following me after a second as I headed back to the kitchen where the others were still eating. I regained my seat, and Blue found one for herself, gently refusing when Mrs. Sage tried to give her a plate. "I-I'm not that hungry," she told her earnestly. I narrowed my eyes at her and made a note to talk to her later.

Placing the jar on the table, I waited until everyone was focusing to speak. "Red and I found this mysterious green powder in Yellow's hair yesterday."

Silver reached for it and took off the lid, pulling out a pinch and rubbing it between his fingers. "It kind of looks like Sleep Powder."

Black nodded. "You're right."

"Well, it's not Sleep Powder. I can tell you that now," Blue said firmly.

"How come?" White questioned.

"Sleep Powder would've worn off by now. Whatever this stuff is, it's continuing to keep her unconscious." Blue's eyebrows scrunched. "Let's take it to the lab, Green."

"Too risky," I told her instantly. "For all we know, it could be watched over day and night. We don't really want another run-in right now."

My words seemed to light a fire in her eyes, and my own reduced to slits as she stared me down. "We need to grab our clothes from the gym soon anyway. Might as well stop by while we're there."

The others nodded in agreement, and I scowled softly after a second of dead silence. "We won't have enough time to run a thorough analysis, but...I suppose it would give us a chance to send it to Professor Elm."

"Exactly," Blue annunciated.

"Are we all going?" Red wondered from his spot next to me, finishing off the last berry on his now empty plate.

"It'd probably be best if I just went," I decided after a moment of thinking. "It'll be easier to get things done fast and stealthy."

"I'm going, too," Blue demanded, crossing her arms. "I can go to the gym while you deal with the shipment dilemma. It'll make things easier."

I narrowed my eyes at her but slowly shook my head a moment later anyway. "Fine, but you _will _call me if something happens."

She chuckled nervously then and reached into her pocket. "About that…it appears as though my Pokegear won't call after getting damaged yesterday."

Silver rolled his eyes with a huff and took the device from her. Clicking through its contents to discover the problem, he went at it for a couple minutes before turning it over and opening the back. "It looks like you bent the internal receptor. Give me a day, and I'll fix it."

I sighed. "Alright then. We'll leave tomorrow. If we don't get back before dinner, you can come after us, but be careful."

Everyone nodded in comprehension, and Mrs. Sage got up to start clearing away our plates. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you guys. I just wish there was something more I could do."

"Letting us stay here is a relief in itself," Red told her while she loaded her dishwasher across the room. "We don't have to deal with getting publically tracked down like last time."

We all looked up suddenly as Copycat ran into the room, rushing up to Blue with flushed cheeks and an object in her small hand. "For Lulu! I'd forgotten where I put it, but I found it!"

Blue looked at the silver and white dream catcher in wonder, slowly turning it and taking in all its complex weaving. "It's beautiful." She looked at the girl. "Are you sure you want me to have it?"

Copycat nodded swiftly. "It'll keep the bad dreams away! Besides, Lulu needs it more than I do."

Blue smiled at her and gave the girl a quick hug. "Thanks."

She giggled a little and turned to start talking with White who she hadn't taken long to get to know. Blue's smile gradually faded, and she glanced at me when she felt my eyes on her.

I knew by the look in her eye that she was planning something, and I could only hope that it wouldn't get her into another predicament like the fire as she turned away and left my thoughts whirling around in my head as to what it might possibly be.

* * *

Gardevoir: Okay, whose there?! Eon! Stop it!

Me: *comes out of bathroom* I'm right here! What are you yelling about?

Gardevoir: *drops jaw and aimlessly points to door* But there was a knock...and then somebody outside...

*clanging from kitchen*

Gardevoir: And someone in the kitchen!

Me: *rolls eyes* Alright, who did you hire to trick me? Hm? Because whoever it is, they're failing miserably.

*knock on front door*

Me: *opens door to see no one* But... *shadow moves outside window* Ahh!

Gardevoir: Now do you see what I'm saying?! Something's here!

Me: Sh! *opens curtain to see faceless Slenderman* AHHHHHHHH!

Gardevoir: AAAAAAHHHHH! THAT STUPID GAME PERSON IS REAL?!

Me: *runs to Gardevoir* What is this?! What's going on?!

Gardevoir: I DON'T KNOW!

*loud knocking on door and banging in kitchen*

Me & Gardevoir: AHHH! GO AWAY!

Me: Wait! *hears people laughing* I know that laugh!

Gardevoir: *swings open door to see Max dressed up like Slenderman* You've got to be kidding me!

Max: Oh, you're faces! Haha!

Me: Then who was in the...? *Narrows eyes* Oh, don't tell me... *marches to kitchen and screams* I can't believe this! *drags out a dark-haired boy dressed like Slenderman too*

Gardevoir: Whose that?

Me: *glares at boy* CARLOS?!

Carlos: *rolling on ground* Great idea Max! So worth the trip up here!

Max: *still laughing* We thought we'd come pay you a visit!

Gardevoir: *fuming* NOT FUNNY!

Me: *face-palms* I'm gonna kill you guys...

Max: Haha! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Eon worked really hard on it so let her know what you thought!

Carlos: Happy Halloween!


	5. Chapter 5: Return to Viridian

Me: Ahhh! My head's gonna explode! I can't decide!

Gardevoir: Gah, what is it now?

Me: The new trainers from Black 2 and White 2!

Gardevoir: *rolls eyes* What about them?

Me: I can't decide which shipping to support! *collapses on couch*

Gardevoir: Dear Raikou...*sighs* What new pairings have the messed up people of the world come up with now?

Me: *muffled by cushions* T-er-'s j-t s- m-ny!

Gardevoir: Come again?

Me: *lifts head* There's just so many! And they're all so adorable! I can't take it!

Gardevoir: Does anyone else find this to at least some degree extremely weird? *sigh* Anyways, **Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. Strictly plot and OC's only. **

* * *

Chapter Five: Blue

"Now, I finally got it to work last night. So please don't go dropping it off buildings anymore."

I giggled and rolled my eyes at a stern Silver. "Don't worry. I don't plan on sky-diving again anytime soon."

He only shook his head at me and crossed his arms next to Green on the front porch who was placing the jar of strange shimmering powder in his bag in preparation for our departure. Red eyed it somewhat angrily before looking through the open window at Yellow and leaning on the porch railing. Black stood there watching him worriedly, and White was giving one last check to my almost gone injuries.

"They healed up rather nicely," she approved with a smile.

I did the same and stretched my arms, relishing in the fact that the soreness had left them. Another plus was being able to take a shower and change into some of Mrs. Sage's clothes that fit me. "They did, didn't they?"

Copycat burst through the front door and ran up to me, making sure she got a chance to talk before I left. "Do you still have my dream catcher?"

I smiled and patted my right hip where the silver and white palm-sized object was sitting in the pocket of my borrowed jeans. "Got it right here!" I giggled and ruffled her hair. "Although, I think we'll be back before it's time to sleep again."

The little girl laughed, too, and her mother pulled the door closed behind her as she joined us on the porch. The woman handed two shoulder bags to Green as everybody gathered around the steps. "Now, I packed some extra berries in your lunch if you're gone longer than expected, and I made sure to put in some medicines. Just in case."

Green saw the warning in her eyes and bowed his head. "Don't worry. We'll be back before the sun even sets."

His words did little for her reassurance, but she smiled anyway and wished us good luck.

"Please be careful," White demanded anxiously.

"Yeah, no more jumping out of buildings," Red told me with a finger waggle.

I rolled my eyes and huffed. "It was one time!" I sighed. "Isn't _anybody_ going to let that go?"

My five friends all looked at each other before laughing and shaking their heads.

My eyes narrowed, and I crossed my arms in frustration. "Guess I'll take that as a no."

Copycat frowned at all of them and ran forward to hug me. "Don't worry! I believe Lulu will come home okay."

I sharply jerked my head at her and smiled. "Thank you! At least somebody's got some faith in me."

"Especially since you're going with Green," she said softly before innocently looking away at the sky.

My ears perked, and I leaned down at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled and shrugged. "Oh, nothing." She slowly stalked over to Green who was sliding one of the bags over his shoulder. He smirked widely at her as she looked up at him and raised her voice loud enough for everyone else to hear her whisper. "Lulu loves Green!"

Everybody burst out laughing, and I gasped in shock, my cheeks turning from peach to pink in less than three seconds. "Copycat!"

The dark-haired eight year-old grinned and gave me another quick hug before dashing into the house to escape my wrath. I stood there with my mouth hanging open a little and pulled back with clenched teeth as Green smugly strode up to me and put his face in mine.

"Not so fun on the receiving end of things, huh?" He asked with a smirk.

I tried to say something, but when nothing came, I whisked around in embarrassment, hiding my face from the others who were just now calming down. Refusing to turn back, I pursed my lips as they started chuckling at my reaction all over again and froze when I felt someone slip the strap of Mrs. Sage's bag around my neck. Their hands rested on my shoulders, and I swear my face went cherry red when Green's face popped up from behind and smiled at me.

"Come on," he said with a slight laugh. "We should get going."

I only huffed and stalked down the steps to the yard where I brought out Jiggly. Her Pokeball was taken from my hand a moment later by Green, and I tried to take it back as he returned her. "What are you doing? I need her to fly, you idiot!"

"Charizard will be faster," he reasoned, his usual frown returning. "You know we need to get in and out of there as quick as possible."

I frowned right back at him, and a silent war proceeded before I couldn't take his glare anymore and threw my arms up angrily. "Fine!" I swiped Jiggly's Pokeball from him and put it in my pocket. "We'll do it your way!"

He only sighed and brought out his Charizard as Mrs. Sage bid us farewell and the other five came down the steps to see us off. When he gestured at me to climb on first, I crossed my arms in indignation and ignored the offer, turning my head and closing my eyes. He rolled his, and mine popped open in surprise when I felt myself being picked up.

"Green!" I pounded on his back as he carried me over his shoulder and placed me between Charizard's wings. He climbed on behind and gave his Pokemon the signal to go. Everybody waved good-bye to us, and they soon became small as our distance from the ground grew.

I glared at the brunette behind me before turning forward to see us reach the low-lying cloud cover. Hanging onto the Fire type, I looked back at him again when he let out a heated breath. "Do you always have to be so stubborn?"

I opened my mouth to retort, only to realize that that would prove his point even more. I snapped it shut and sighed. "Sorry."

He smirked slightly and raised an eyebrow. "You know, Copycat was kidding earlier."

I tilted my head. "What? But she said the same thing when we first met." I blushed again, but Green's smirk only grew.

"The only reason she says it is because of how everyone reacts. She doesn't really know what she's saying."

My eyes widened, and I whipped back around with my hand at my mouth, fresh red blossoming on my cheeks. How could've I have been dumb enough to react like that in front of everybody? Especially Green!

I could literally feel the smirk coming from him behind me and frowned. This wasn't right. I didn't love people; people loved me! There was no way that Copycat's statement could be true!

I paused as Charizard drifted to the left, and Green lightly pressed against me. When we were straight again, I was surprised that he didn't back off, instead staying where he was. My cheeks continued to burn, and I bit my lip. Maybe…maybe she _was_ right…

"So what's up with you?" He asked suddenly, pulling back.

"H-huh?" I shook my clouded mind and turned to see him watching me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"These nightmares. What are they about? Because it's like you go insane whenever you have them."

My gaze fell from his, and I looked away. "I-It's nothing, really."

He scoffed. "Blue, stop lying. Just tell me what it was." He thought a second before asking, "Is it Yellow? Are you so worried about her that you're dreaming?"

"No, no," I told him. I shut my eyes tightly, and my latest nightmare came over me again. I'd come face to face with the Masked Man for the first time and attempted to run away. Unfortunately, my fear of birds had just been created during the flight with Ho-Oh who was sent after me. As I'd ran for my life through a maze of fog and darkness, the Legendary had caught up and forcefully brought me back to the evil man. The last thing I remembered was the silver plate sliding over my face before I'd woken up to see Green staring at me in a shocked worry.

"Is it the Masked Man?"

The name made me flinch, and I nodded slowly after a second. "I don't understand it, though. It's been so long. It doesn't make sense why they'd come back."

"You've been under a lot of stress lately," he said, looking out at the clouds passing around us. "We all have. So it's not surprising that something like this happened."

I sighed and leaned back on him, feeling the boy jump lightly at my touch. "Well, I definitely wish it hadn't. Copycat looked so scared when I woke up."

The wind rushed past us, blowing our hair back and filling our heads with nothing but the sounds of the sky.

"She wasn't the only one."

His voice almost eluded my ears, but I smiled faintly when they heard it. Closing my eyes, I hadn't realized that I was dozing off until he shook me awake, Charizard standing still in front of the Viridian Gym. Jumping down to the ground, I looked back up at his stern face as the Pokemon started to lift off again.

"Be careful," he warned me. "It's possible that they might've set traps so call me if anything goes wrong. I'll be right over."

"Okay, okay," I told him, waving my arms at him to go. "Don't worry! Everything will be fine!"

He only gave a doubtful look before telling Charizard to head for Pallet Town. I stalked up to the front doors and tried the handles. Fortunately, we hadn't had time to lock up the night of White's party, and the door was open. Then again, it was possible that someone could've raided the place in our absence. That wasn't the case, though, as I walked inside and found everything as it was earlier this week.

Hurrying over to the rooms that we'd changed in, I happily replaced Mrs. Sage's clothes for my own and set my white hat back on my head. I grabbed everyone else's outfits and packed them in my yellow bag, making sure to take any extra belongings. I had just put the last articles inside when the creak of the front doors made me freeze.

I checked my Pokegear quickly to see if Green had called and bit my lip when he hadn't. Silent as a Seviper, I cracked the door to the room open and peaked out, almost slamming it shut again when I saw a lone figure standing in the main hall where the dressed-up battlefield was.

It was someone with a black shirt and white-blonde hair cut short in a cute pixie style. I could tell it was a girl by the way she stood, and I gasped silently as she turned to the side and something around her neck flashed.

It was a TR pendent on a white thread.

Just like Amber's.

I narrowed my eyes and watched her as she strode around the room, fingering the decorations that everyone had worked so hard to put up. _So this is Melany…_I looked at the girl again and scowled. Such cute hair. For an enemy that is. The lengths of it varied depending on its location. The shorter ones were at the back of her head, growing larger as they approached her face until touching half an inch past her chin. Her bangs were large and sweeping across her forehead so that they rested just barely above her eyes which I could see were deep blue.

I grumbled to myself for a few minutes about wishing that Yellow would get an adorable haircut like, not noticing that the girl had been getting closer to my room with each passing second until her footsteps sounded not even five feet away. Holding my breath, I quietly stepped backwards and searched in the dark for something to hide behind. When I couldn't find anything suitable, I settled for standing where the door would open and waited in tense silence for it to do so.

The steps came closer and closer until they stopped directly outside the door. A drop of sweat beaded down my face as I heard shifting and silently let out a breath of relief as they continued down the hall. I remained still for a couple more minutes to make sure she was gone before cautiously stepping out of the door. I didn't see anyone on the battlefield so I was about to make a dash for the front doors when I heard something clatter. Looking the opposite way towards Green's office, I frowned and slowly started walking.

Pausing at the window set into the door, I stared into the office and saw Melany setting a picture frame back on Green's desk, her fingers grazing over the papers he'd been last looking at. Anger rose in my throat at the sight of her touching his stuff, and I suppressed the urge to barge in there and slap her hands away. What right did she have to just come here like it wasn't an issue?!

She paused suddenly, and I ducked out of sight just in time for her eyes to miss me as she turned around. I whipped my head around for another place to hide and rushed over to a nearby closet, slipping inside just as the girl stepped out of the office. I heard her start walking away and came out in time to see her disappearing out the back door.

I immediately started for the front ones to get out of there as soon as possible, but my advice to Copycat suddenly came to thought, my feet bringing me to a stop.

"_Isn't it better to face your problems rather than running away from them?"_

I stood there a moment in silence, indecision making my hand clench as my small time limit of opportunity continued to tick away. This was my chance. I could go after her—see if I can learn anything about their motives and/or possibly confront her. On the other hand, I could get out of here home-free with all of our belongings and see how Green was doing.

Yellow's unconscious face flashed across my mind, and I secured the two bags on my shoulder before marching out the back door.

Confrontation it is.

The sunlight was bright as I walked outside and saw her form diminishing in the sky, heading toward the Viridian Forest. My hand went to my bag for Jiggly's Pokeball but froze when arms suddenly wrapped around mine and crushed me in a huge hug.

"My Lugia, you're okay!"

I turned around in surprise to see a worry-stricken Green with his eyes closed in relief. "I saw Melany go into the Gym right after you and thought that she might've—"

"I'm fine!" I told him quickly, watching her fade even more in the distance and fretting that I might lose her in the clouds if I didn't get up there soon.

Green's eyes followed mine before narrowing in suspicion. He walked in front of me and stared hard. "What are you doing?" I brought my gaze to his, and he frowned. "You're not thinking of going after her, are you?"

I could almost feel the disapproval radiating off him and shook my head, attempting to feign innocence. "N-no. Why would I do that?"

His eyes were reduced to slits as he crossed his arms. "Hm. Just wondering. Because only an idiot would do that. Especially without any idea of what they'd do once they caught up."

"Eheh…" I chuckled nervously, thinking of a way to get him to leave. "Well, we should be getting over to the lab, shouldn't we?" I hastily snatched Charizard's Pokeball from his belt and brought out the fire lizard. "Let's go!"

Green was still looking at me cynically but climbed on his back, reaching a hand out to pull me up. As nonchalantly as I could, I pretended to check off the things in my bag and purposefully skipped something. "I better go get it!" I told him. "You go on ahead! I'll catch up!"

The boy and his Pokemon didn't move an inch, refusing to take off without me. I rolled my eyes and tickled the end of Charizard's tail, a little tidbit I'd learned that could make him jump into the air. With his wings now beating, Green scowled down at me, and I waved good-bye with upmost cheer. His eyes rolled, and he began flying for Pallet Town again. I watched him until he was completely gone and released Jiggly, jumping on her back as she inflated and floated up into the sky.

I rummaged through my bag until finding my Silph Co. that I always carried with me and putting it on. Hitting the magnification switch, I searched the cloud cover for Melany and after a while of frantic searching spotted her about a half mile ahead on a Venomoth.

Setting my face, I urged Jiggly to go faster. I smirked as she increased by at least ten miles an hour and mentally stuck my tongue out at Green. Yeah right Jiggly wasn't a fast flyer! She just enjoyed leisurely floating most of the time.

Melany's figure began descending into the treetops, and I frowned at the thought of what might happen in the next few hours.

That was okay, though. It was about time that I had a talk with that girl.

* * *

My doubts about Blue slowly drifted away as I returned Charizard and took out the keys to the lab. Unlocking the huge white doors, I stepped inside to find no one working today. Then again, it was Saturday. Gramps always let everyone have the weekend off when there wasn't a major project going on.

Scoping out the area for anyone that might be lurking around, I nodded in satisfaction when I didn't see any and headed for the video phone that Gramps had in his main room. The door slammed shut behind me as I strode towards the desk where the unit was hooked up and clicked it on. The monitor burst into a box of light that I shielded my eyes against until it calmed down and went to the call screen.

I scrolled down the contacts list until Professor Elm's popped up and hit the send button. While the signal went through, I reached into my bag and pulled out the Zinc jar containing the mysterious green powder. It shimmered in the sunlight coming in from the window, and I observed it curiously. It was very similar to Sleep Powder, but its clear and light reflecting properties definitely made it unique.

My thoughts were scattered as the screen burst to life with an image of Elm's lab and Crystal's face in the middle.

"Green!" She said surprised. "I wasn't expecting a call from you!"

"No," I told her. "But there's a situation that I need your help with."

"What is it—"

Her voice was cut off by Emerald's who I could hear off screen.

"No, Gold! You can't come out!"

I raised an eyebrow, and Crystal sweatdropped. "Oh boy…"

"What's he getting into now?" I asked with a shake of my head.

The pig-tailed girl sighed and leaned on the desk in front of the video phone. "This project Professor Elm is conducting has to do with Poffins."

"Poffins? Aren't those some kind of Contest treats? Like the Pokeblocks Ruby uses?"

Crystal nodded and cringed when a loud banging started up along with a round of protests from Emerald. "Just that. He wants to use them to see if their different properties affect the offspring of the Pokemon who consume them."

"So what's wrong with Gold?" I wondered. "He knows he can't eat them, right? They're Pokemon food."

"Oh, he knows," she told me. "That's not the problem though."

I tilted my head, and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "The chef is DJ Mary."

I sighed and shook my head as another set of bangs sounded along with Gold's cries for freedom.

"No!" Emerald dashed across the screen in the background, running back to the other side a moment later with a fire extinguisher in his hands. "Stay back, Gold!"

"Just let me out!" The boy pleaded. "I'll stay calm! I promise!"

The only response I heard was a spray from the extinguisher and a shout of objection from the victim. "I'm soaked!"

"Stop trying to escape then!" Emerald shouted at him.

"But Mary's only here for one more batch of Poffins!" He exclaimed. "And they'll be done in ten minutes!"

Emerald simply sprayed him again, and Crystal turned back to me with a sigh. "We needed someone close by with experience, and as unexpected as it was that she had some, we decided to ask her anyway. We'd all hoped that he wouldn't start freaking out like this if she said yes, but as you can see, that's _exactly_ what happened."

"So how's the research going?" I asked her, anxiously trailing a finger around the lid of the jar and looking up at the door to make sure no one was there.

The extinguisher continued to go off as Crystal smiled and happily read off some of the results from a stack of nearby papers. Every minute or so, I zoned out and stretched my ears for any sound of people approaching. Just because they hadn't come yet didn't mean that they weren't planning on doing so.

I was jolted out of my thoughts and Crystal from the middle of her explanations when Emerald's distressed voice rang out. "Gold! What's with the smirk?! Why are you reaching for your belt?! No! Don't use Typhlosion on the cage!"

Crystal ran from the screen, and I could just make out the back of her lab coat as she stood behind Emerald who I could hear raise the extinguisher again. "Don't make me use this!"

"Explotaro! Get us out of here with Flamethrower!"

The Pokemon started the move and stopped in recoil when Emerald hit the extinguisher's switch. I closed my eyes and shook my head with a small smile as nothing came out and the powerful Fire type move began melting away at its trainer's confinement.

"How could it be out?!" Emerald yelled.

"Quick!" Crystal told him after a moment of fast thinking. "Go and lock the door from outside!"

I saw them come across the monitor as she pushed him towards the door. "But you'll be stuck in here, too!"

"It's just until Mary's gone," she reassured the blonde-haired boy. "Now hurry! Before they break free!"

Emerald nodded and sprinted for the door, a lock clicking in place as Explotaro's Flamethrower burst through the cage and singed a furious Crystal in the face who had just turned back around to assess Gold's progress. Said boy stepped out of the heat with his Pokemon behind him and stood before her angry smoking form, chuckling fearfully.

"Well, aren't you just simmering?" He said in an attempt of a joke.

She growled at him, and he laughed nervously again, slowly stepping around her before dashing for the door. I heard the handle jiggle uselessly, and the boy sighed in frustration, his form reappearing on the screen as he walked back in front of his friend.

"Can I pleeeeease go?" He pleaded with her, reaching out for her good nature.

"No." The response was taut and contained restrained rage, but he was still stupid enough to push her buttons.

"Jeez, Crys, if you wanted to lock yourself in a room with me, you could've just said so," he smirked.

Seeing the steam beginning to leak out of her ears, he gulped before returning his Typhlosion and watching her walk back to the video phone where I was waiting, quite amused at my two juniors. "Now what did you need Green? You said that there was something wrong?"

Gold picked up on the serious atmosphere and lost his idiot smile, coming up behind Crystal and looking at me intently.

I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure of what to start with. So much had happened since the reunion. "Arceus, where do I begin…alright, you guys remember when we all got together a few weeks ago?"

Crystal nodded, and Gold grinned again, muttering to himself, "I know I do."

The blue-haired girl closed her eyes and smacked him, sending the Johto boy sprawling onto the lab floor. "What was that for?!"

She scoffed as he got back to his feet. "You know darn well, pervert."

He was about to object when she silenced him with a glare and gestured for me to go on.

"Well," I started uncertainly. "It turns out that Red has a twin brother named Amber, and he showed up that night."

"Whoa!" Gold exclaimed. "Mind blown! Red-senpai's got a _twin?!"_

"I agree with Gold," Crystal admitted. "Why haven't we heard about him before?"

"No one had," I told her. "It'd been ten years since Red last saw him."

Her eyes widened, and he whistled. "Talk about reunion," he said simply.

I nodded and continued. "Right after that, these strange people started trying to kidnap Yellow."

Crystal gasped. "But she's okay, right?!"

"For now," I said lowly. "That's actually why I called. It appears that…well…" I trailed off, my mind still shocked at my best friend's brother's betrayal. "…Amber was one of them the whole time."

Both of them froze, Gold's face morphing into surprise as Crystal mulled it over. "And here I was starting to like the dude just from your description," he scoffed.

"Why would he do that, though?" She asked with scrunched eyebrows.

"He really isn't that bad a guy—we've discerned that much," I told them. "He's very much like Red in many ways. It's just that it was such a shock when he attempted to kidnap Yellow himself."

I could see both sets of eyes bugging out of their heads before Gold frowned and pulled his billiard cue from his pocket, extending it to its full length and slamming it on the ground. "Alright. Where's the damn Sham Twin?"

"Gold!" Crystal gently scolded him. She turned back to me and frowned. "I'm glad to know that he failed, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Now that you mention it…" I grabbed the Zinc jar and brought it into view. "What does this look like to you?"

The two squinted as they tried to get a good look at the light green powder inside. "It appears to be a small dose of Sleep Powder," Crystal deducted. She eyed me doubtfully. "That's not the case though, is it?"

I shook my head and sighed. "Amber used this on Yellow a few days ago, and she still isn't awake. I thought it was some sort of drug at first, but that would've worn off by now."

Crystal nodded in agreement, and Gold scratched his head. "So what'd he give Straw Hat Gal? Some sort of pass-out medication?"

"We don't know," I said, staring at the eluding powder. "All that's for sure is that whatever it may be, it's doing a pretty good job of keeping Yellow unconscious." I looked up at my fellow researcher and reached for the transporter attached to the video phone. "Do you think you could run an analysis for me? I would do it myself, but seeing as how things are here, I can't."

She complied immediately, demanding me to send it over right away. After a minute or two, the jar popped on the other end of the line where the girl picked it up and instantly set it in a safe place to look at later. She turned back and tried to give me an encouraging smile. "I wish there was more we could do."

"We can come to Kanto and help you guys protect Yellow!" Gold exclaimed determinedly, raising his pool stick in a heroic manner.

"Even though we still are under the radar and constantly running lately, I'd rather you didn't," I told them truthfully, ignoring the protesting expressions on their faces. "Black, White, and Silver are here with Red, Blue, and I so we have plenty of manpower. Besides, you'll be safer if you stay out of it and in Johto."

It took a few minutes of silence, but finally they both nodded reluctantly, Gold holding the jar up to the light from its safe spot and taking note of its shimmering quality. Crystal saw it too, her researching side kicking in as she set her face.

"Don't worry, Green. We'll find out why it's keeping her asleep."

I nodded in thanks and watched as Emerald opened the door and stepped into view again. "Okay! Mary's on her way back to Goldenrod City so you can come out now, Gold!" He saw my face on the video phone along with his seniors' solemn ones and widened his eyes. "What'd I miss?"

I looked up at the clock and the door again worriedly which Crystal noticed right away. "We'll make sure to fill him in. Keep safe, Green!"

I gave her a grim nod before ending the call and sending the room spiraling into silence. My eyebrow rose as nothing moved or made any noise, my feet bringing me back to the main room where I skeptically took in the unoccupied room. _I guess Melany's guys didn't come today. She must've made the trip here by herself. I wonder where she went after the Gym…_

My teeth clenched as I suddenly realized that another blue-eyed girl had yet to arrive. Glancing at my Pokegear, I saw that it had been almost an hour since I left Blue and growled, immediately running outside and releasing Charizard. As I climbed on his back and aimed for the Gym, I kept an eye on the ground below, searching out that wave of brown hair that I had no doubt had ignored my warning and was probably getting herself into trouble as we spoke.

* * *

Yellow's house.

That's where Melany touched down on the ground, returning her Venomoth not six feet from the front porch. I landed silently in the trees outside the clearing, putting Jiggly away to watch her in shock as she pulled something from her pocket and held it up to reveal that it was an old key. My eyes widened as she slid it into the lock and effortlessly turned the knob, calmly walking inside and leaving me to sneak across the lawn after her.

Thankfully, she'd left the door open a little, and I was able to slip through without so much as a single creak. I could hear her footsteps in the kitchen and kept my back pressed against the wall out of her view. Daring a peak around the corner, I saw the ends of her hair vanish into the open living room and stealthily used the breakfast island on the other side of the kitchen to hide behind and watch her.

She walked around everything with great care, gently making her way to the mantle above the fireplace taking up the center of the room. She picked up one of the picture frames, and I narrowed my eyes as she chuckled to herself. She set it back in its place, and I watched curiously as her head swept side to side as if searching for something. When she didn't find it, she reached into her pocket and brought out a folded paper.

Her fingers undoing the bends, I saw that it was another picture and struggled to see who it was of. Very slowly taking out my Silph Co., I flinched when the magnification switch made a buzz and flew to the floor as she whipped around at the noise. It may have only been a second, but my heart was pounding at what I'd seen in the picture.

I closed my eyes as her footsteps got closer and froze when she stopped on the other side of the bar.

"Okay, which one of you is it? Whose here to 'seek revenge'?"

I snapped to my feet at the humor in her voice and frowned. "Me."

Her soft laughing stopped at the sight of me, and I gave her a weird look as her face went blank and her blue eyes silently studied me. After a couple minutes of being observed, my temper broke. "What?!"

She brought her gaze to mine again and chuckled inwardly. "Nothing." The slight frown came back like she was trying to figure something out, and she slid the folded picture back into her pocket. "So. What's the plan, eh?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She smirked and stalked past me to lean against the kitchen counter. "Oh come on. You didn't just show up here and spy on me without a plan, did you?"

My eyes barely widened as I realized that she was right. I'd just tailed her all the way here without a thought as to how I would protect myself. Like an idiot.

I puffed my cheeks. Dumb, Green…always calling things ahead of time…

Her giggling made me cross my arms, and I glared at her as she fiddled with one of her Pokeballs. Inquisitively glancing past its clear surface, I saw a Misdreavus inside doing the same to me.

"Hm," the girl hummed. "What to do, what to do…" An idea popped in her mind, and she held up a finger. "I don't believe we've even introduced ourselves yet." She stood up off the counter and bowed slightly. "I'm Melany."

Her bangs hid most of it, but I could see the small smile on her face like she knew something that I didn't. Wary, I did likewise and bent over. "Blue."

She frowned at the stiffness in my voice and huffed sadly. "Don't be like that. We were off to such a good start."

"That's exactly how I'll be," I said coldly. "Especially to those who try to hurt my friends."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she spun the Pokeball on her finger, instinctively making me reach for one of mine. "You misunderstand," she told me. "We aren't trying to hurt her; we just need to ask a favor."

"Then why not do it like a normal person?!" I screeched. I'd only been with this girl for five minutes, and she was already reducing me to unconstrained anger.

"Because it's not exactly a request that we think she'll agree to," she said absentmindedly, swiftly grabbing her Pokeball out of the air.

"Well, just back off, okay?" I warned her.

The girl smirked. "You all insist on the same thing. When will you ever learn that I just can't do that?"

I pulled out Blasty's Pokeball. "Never."

She lost the smile and sighed. "There's going to be a battle before I can leave, isn't there?" The blonde took my silence as a yes and headed for the front door, beckoning me to follow. "If that's the case, we shouldn't do it in the house. I don't think the owner would appreciate that very much."

I growled lightly at her mock consideration and quickly followed her outside to make sure she didn't try to run away. We set ourselves on opposite ends of the lawn, and I tightened my grip on Blasty's Pokeball while she replaced hers back on her belt.

"Alright, choose your first Pokemon," she told me, waving her hands for me to go on.

I huffed at her and released Blasty with a burst of light, my faithful Water type ready to battle. She gave him a once-over before simply taking off another Pokeball and pressing its button open to reveal a Heracross. It stretched its powerful limbs, and Melany gave me a cheeky smile.

"First attack goes to you."

I didn't even say thanks before directing Blasty into a Water Gun attack. The Heracross easily dodged and rushed forward with a Rock Slide. My Pokemon was able to get out of there just in time, dashing to mid-field where it turned around to face its foe.

"Blasty, Mega Punch!"

Melany saw him powering up and shouted out her own command. "Brick Break!"

In an instant, the two powerhouses locked arms and pushed with all their might, each one trying to best the other. I was so busy watching them that I didn't even notice Melany approaching until her lithe form was next to me, her arm lashing out and slamming into my stomach.

"What the H0-Oh?!" I wheezed out. "This is a Pokemon battle for Entei's sake!"

She was bouncing on the balls of her feet in a fighting stance and barely jerked her head at our companions. "If you trust your Pokemon, then you can let it fight without having to give it orders."

My blood heated up as I read the challenge between her lines, and an old forgotten memory washed over me as I copied her stance. She didn't give me a moment to think, striking out again but this time getting blocked by my arm before it could land a hit.

That seemed to be a signal as the two of us commenced to joining in a flurry of fighting moves, each one of us matching the other hit for hit. We weren't street fighting—no, it was more towards a modern type of karate that I'd been forced to learn when I'd been kidnapped by the Masked Man.

He'd told us that it was the dance of the swordsmen from old times when people would fight directly rather than battle with Pokemon. In case we ever had to ensue in hand to hand combat, he'd had us all memorize the sequences so that it was as if we were tiny warriors locked in a sword less combat.

This sudden thought shocked me enough to let another one of her hits strike home. Quickly clearing my mind like I'd been taught and focusing again, a separate part of my brain reeled in surprise. This girl must've have done a lot of research to discover the fighting style that only a certain group of kids had learned over ten years ago—and become very good at it.

Racking my memory for any advantage that I could use, I dug up one of my old homemade strategies that I'd made during our practice sessions with the other kidnapped kids and ran the steps through my head before finding an opening in the fight to begin it.

My hand snapped out for her left elbow, giving her the idea that I was trying to take her arm out and causing her to block it. Doing the same with her opposite limb, I kept her upper body distracted while discreetly angling my legs just right so that I could strike her knees and bring her down with one fell sweep. It was a tactic that had worked perfectly on all my opponents during my training, and I had a feeling that it would come in handy now.

When I felt that she was too busy blocking with her hands to notice, I swiftly spun and bent low to shoot out my leg. It was about to make contact with the back of her knees when in the blink of an eye, she quickly got down and grabbed my foot, effectively stopping the move and leaving me speechless. I could see that the sudden halt of force had hurt her hand, but she endured it and twisted my ankle around.

Using it to my advantage, I spun out of her hold and got back to my feet, panting heavily as she did the same. Shock was numbing my entire body, and I stared her down for a few seconds, a sudden sense of familiarity making my eyes widen.

I…I knew those moves. The ones she was using…it wasn't just someone adopting the fighting style I'd learned…I literally _recognized_ every angle and ounce of force behind each one. During our combat, I hadn't realized it, but the reason I could block and strike as well as I had was because the person I was doing it to felt so…familiar. Like I'd done this with them before but so long ago that I didn't have even the slightest chance of remembering exactly who it was.

Our Pokemon sensed the tense mood and temporarily broke their battle to watch us. Melany twisted her wrist slightly to rid it of my last blow, and I gasped as even that motion struck a chord deep in me that I hadn't even known was there.

"Who…who are you?" I whispered.

She didn't answer right away, a mid-summer breeze blowing the trees around us and lifting the bangs slightly from her forehead as she looked down. I couldn't tell what emotion was swimming inside her, but when she brought her face back up, I could see a small genuine smile beneath her deep blue eyes.

The TR pendent around her neck starting flashing red, and she looked at it in surprise before turning to the Heracross and returning it, her Venomoth taking its place a moment later. Its claws were latching onto her as I rushed up.

"Hey! You didn't answer my question!"

Her shoulders drooped for a second, and she slowly turned to me with a face full of solemn.

"Our pasts are never truly forgotten." She looked me right in the eye. "Always remember that."

She didn't stick around any longer to hear my protests and took to the sky, her figure rapidly becoming a dot on the horizon. I stared after her helplessly, knowing that Jiggly had no chance of catching up. Hanging my head, I silently returned Blasty and collapsed on the ground, minor scratches that I had come to know so well as a child reclaiming my skin once more.

My mind became a whirlwind of confusion, Yellow's mysterious slumber and Melany's strange message both demanding my attention. What was happening?! Why didn't anything make sense?! Normally I could take the few clues given to me to create the rest of the picture on my own, but this was like trying to figure out an entire puzzle with one corner piece!

I gulped a little and wiped at my eye. Why couldn't I trust protect the people I cared about without having some confusing plot make my head go crazy?!

"BLUE!"

I glanced up sharply and gave a small scream, quickly backing away as Green's Charizard slammed down where I had just been sitting. The owner jumped off his back and stomped up to me, roughly pulling my sprawled form off the ground.

"What did I tell you?!" He hissed though clenched teeth. "Arceus, can't you just listen to me once?! Just once! Then I wouldn't have to worry about losing you every minute I leave you alone!"

My eyes widened, and so did his, but he was too furious to get stuck on it. "We're going back to Saffron." His face turned to stone. "Now."

I followed him without objection, ignoring his flaming aura as he jumped on Charizard's back behind me and told it to head off. I wasn't upset that I had gone against Green. Sure I was a heck of a lot more confused now, but at least I had gained something. I'd met Melany face to face, even battled her. And after doing all that, I could definitely tell that there was something about her that I just wasn't getting.

The folded picture in her pocket flashed in my mind then, and I looked down at the land passing below, trying not to wonder why she'd had that picture.

A picture of a happy family.

With a blonde-ponytailed daughter.

* * *

Me: GRAH! Sequelshipping, Visorshipping...

Gardevoir: Oh, great, we're going to name them now.

Me: Transceivershipping, Livecastershipping...

Gardevoir: Okay, seriously you can stop!

Me: Just...so...many...*faints*

Gardevoir: *stares at unconscious face* This is when Jigglypuff would _really_ come in handy...So let her know what you thought readers. Hopefully by the time we get back she'll be done spazzing out. Until next time! Review and return!


	6. Chapter 6: A Pokemon for White

Me: Finally! Show week is over!

Gardevoir: Show week? As in, a play?

Me: Yep! I just completed my first high school play! *bows*

Gardevoir: *smirk* I'd love to see those screw-ups.

Me: *glares from bent over position* For your information, it went quite well, actually.

Gardevoir: Right. And what exactly was your part?

Me: *grins* A psycho lady that was trying to kill the main character.

Gardevoir: *face-palms*

Me: It was so fun! I got to use a gun and everything!

Gardevoir: It was a fake...right?

Me: Hehe...right...

Gardevoir: *sigh* Kyurem help us...**Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. Only the plots and OC's.**

* * *

Chapter Six: Blue

I sat on the couch alone with a blank face as the last words of my story ignited a spectrum of emotion in front of me. It started on the left with worry before becoming curiosity, disapproval, shock, and fury as I moved my head to the right. And just as I expected, the last was the first to speak.

"You've really got to stop trying to do everything on your own," Green muttered irritated.

Beside him, Red nodded, surprise still lighting his face. "I-I'm sorry, but he's right. Melany's unpredictable. You may have gained some information about her, but you shouldn't have gone alone."

"She shouldn't have gone at all," Silver put in with a shake of his head.

"Well, it wasn't a completely bad idea," Black argued. "At least now we know to some degree the strength of her Pokemon and that she herself can and possibly will fight."

"Still," White said hesitantly. "It might've been a good idea to let Green know first."

I fell back in defeat but was happy that at least one person was on my side. Green continued to glare at me, and I rolled my eyes as Mrs. Sage walked in and handed him and me a slice of Oran Berry pie.

"I saw that you guys hadn't touched anything in the lunches I packed you," she told us sternly. "You've got to remember to eat. It's at times like this that you need to keep your strength up."

"Sorry," Green apologized to her. He narrowed his eyes at me. "We got a little caught up."

I stuck my tongue out at him and angrily shoved a piece of cake in my mouth.

"But you're back now. Everything's okay," she said after my display of discontent.

I smiled apologetically, and Black tilted his head. "So what's our next step? Is there anything we can do about Yellow?"

Green shook his head and put his plate on the table. "I'm afraid not until we get word back from Crystal."

The room fell into silence as we thought about what to do now. After a few minutes, Red's head snapped up from its previous hanging position, and I could his face was set and determined. "We train."

White's eyes widened. "Train?"

Red nodded and stood up, aiming for the back door. "That way we'll be ready when Melany and her guys decide to come back." He looked at Yellow painfully. "Because they will be coming again soon."

"Red, we'll be okay," I reassured him.

He shook his head however and went outside. Mrs. Sage started to go after him, but Green held her back.

"Let him go," he told her before sitting again.

"I-Is he alright?" White asked nervously.

I was about to say yes to calm her down, but Green decided to give a more honest answer. "No, he's not."

Black tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Green nodded at Yellow and looked towards the back door. "Red's been through more than you think lately. He's really having a hard time dealing with all this, but he won't admit it. So he's trying to find another way to vent himself."

The other brunette was silent before jumping up with a smile. "Well, let's go join him then!"

He raced out of the room, and White followed him with hidden reluctance. Silver glanced to us and decided to do the same as Green and I began heading for the door, also. Mrs. Sage hung back, saying that she was going to pick up Copycat from soccer practice before starting on supper.

In the back yard, I could see that Red already had his entire team out, heading for the wide property of land that came with Mrs. Sage's house. It was set in the northwestern part of town by a nearby forest. The neighbors were a good sixty feet away on either side so the yard was large and spacious until hitting the woods and turning into trees—a great place for training.

Red was already on his way into the forest with his Pokemon before Green ran over and pulled him back sharply. "Hold up. Why don't we stay here instead? It'll be easier to battle out in this open area than among the trees."

The crimson-eyed boy gave him a slight nod and turned to Black and White. "I guess that'll give us a chance to assess our juniors. They'll be the first ones since Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald."

Green nodded in agreement and faced the two curious brunettes. "How about it? Do you feel like a battle?"

Black smiled and leaped at the opportunity right away. "Finally! Some action! Which one of you am I going against first?"

Red shrugged, and I laughed. "Take your pick; a Gym Leader or a Champion?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he looked at Red with newfound wonder. "Whoa! I knew you guys were strong enough to be Gym Leaders but Champions?!" He shook his head in surprise. "That's totally awesome! It's been my dream to be the best and here I was with one of them the whole time!"

Red glanced at Green and smirked. "I guess he chooses me then."

"Don't push it," his friend muttered. "You're lucky that your homemade lightning rod was able to knock out Charizard. Otherwise, I would have pulverized you."

"Yeah, yeah," Red said with a smile. "Come on, Black! Let's see what you can do!"

The younger capped boy quickly complied with the older, and they began to square off in their own little section of the yard. Green rolled his eyes and aimed his attention at White who was shyly fidgeting.

"Guess that means you get me," he told her before noticing her uneasiness. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him and Silver and me, glancing down at the ground with tears almost in her eyes. "S-see, the thing is…" She gave a slow shrug. "I…don't have any Pokemon."

All three of us froze and stared at her like she was crazy.

"Y-you're joking, right?" Silver said incredulously. "You have a company of _Pokemon_ actors. Surely one of them is yours?"

She shook her head sadly, and he glanced at Green who returned his surprised expression. Giving a sigh, the dark-eyed boy reached into his bag and pulled out a set of ten Pokeballs. "Then you should probably catch one. You can't train if you don't have any Pokemon." His raised an eyebrow. "Which means you've never trained before."

The girl nodded blankly, eliciting another sigh from him. Handing the miniaturized Pokeballs to her, he turned to me. "Why don't you help her? I'll battle with Silver for now."

I smiled and linked arms with the girl at my side. "You can count on me!"

His eyes narrowed as he followed Silver towards the opposite side of the yard from Red and Black. Watching them leave, White glanced at the Pokeballs in her hands nervously. "I-I'm sorry that I'm such a setback, Blue."

I closed my eyes and clicked my tongue. "Nonsense! Everybody's a beginner at some time! You just happen to be one at an older age."

She just kept looking sorrowfully at the ground, and I laughed. "Don't worry! I'll make a trainer out of you in no time!"

The girl turned her gaze to the four boys. "If you say so…"

"I do!" Aiming us at the forest, I started skipping, and she soon fell into time with me as we made our way for the trees. The afternoon sunlight faded slightly as we entered the foliage, its warm glow dappling the grass at our feet through the trees' thick leaves.

I saw that she was still upset and gave a sigh. "Really, White. It'll be okay."

She shook her head and looked up at me. "No, it's not that…before I came to Kanto, I was traveling through Unova with Black."

I nodded. "Yeah, you guys said something about that at the Reunion."

"Right." She breathed in deep. "Before we decided to take a trip here, we were in Nimbasa City where Black had just won his fourth badge. While he was having his battle, I was taking care of some business and found myself in the city's amusement park."

She stopped a moment, and I patiently waited for her to go on.

"I was so tired from working straight through the previous day so I just went along with it when this guy offered me a seat to rest on."

I gasped. "He was a pervert, wasn't he?! I so called it!"

Her eyes widened, and she waved her hands. "No! Not at all! It was someone Black and I had met before. We…weren't exactly on friendly terms because we had different beliefs and all...but anyway, it was because of those beliefs that he was able to make my Tepig choose him over me."

I almost gasped again. "H-he convinced your Pokemon to leave you?!"

She nodded, this time with evident tears in her eyes. "I was so distraught, and he left me the Pokemon that he had with him. But it only scared me more and reminded me of what had happened. So, in an attempt to give me a chance to calm down, Black suggested that we take a break from his journey and go on vacation to a foreign region. I agreed, and even though the guy's Pokemon followed me around like it was mine, we were able to make it stay at Black's house while we headed for Kanto."

I gave her a small smile and hugged the downcast girl. "It's alright. I'm sure things will work out. They always do."

She was quiet a moment before smiling a little and rubbing her eyes. "You're probably right. Thanks, Blue."

I squeezed her thin form again and released our arms. "No problem. Besides, we're going to get you another Pokemon so that when yours comes back, it'll have a friend!"

White smiled at me gratefully but gave our surroundings a doubtful glance while I twisted around to grab one of the Pokeballs from my bag.

"Now, when you're on a capturing mission such as this one, you can't just go throwing balls at wild Pokemon," I instructed, bringing out Clefy. "First, you must attack them and lower their HP."

White appeared confused as she asked, "How do I do that?"

"You've just got to give your Pokemon a command. Here! You can use Clefy!" The pink fairy-like Pokemon smiled at her, and she hesitantly did the same. "If you look at your Pokedex, you'll see the moves that he can use."

She frowned and twisted her hands. "Again…I don't have one."

I scrunched my eyebrows a moment and put a finger beneath my chin. "I can understand that. No Pokemon means no Pokedex."

The brunette nodded sadly. "Yeah…"

I scrutinized her for a moment before clapping my hands and smiling. "Regardless, I'll just tell you his moves! There are only a few, but my favorite is Metronome."

"Metronome?" White questioned.

I nodded. "Yep! It's a special move that randomly turns into another! You never know which one you'll get!"

"Seems a little unpredictable," she admitted with another glance at Clefy.

I winked and gave my Pokemon a pat on the head. "But that's what makes it so fun!"

There was a rustling in the bushes ahead, and a Pidgey hopped out of them, pecking at the ground in search of something to eat. I turned to White and gestured at the small Pokemon. "Watch. I'll show you how it's done."

Clefy stepped forward with me, attracting the attention of the Flying type. It seemed to be hostile and immediately attacked us with a Fury Attack. Clefy quickly dodged, and White and I jumped out of the way as it sped past us. While it turned around to come back, I told Clefy to use Metronome. After a flash of light, the move morphed into Tackle, and the Pidgey was hit head on. Getting back to its feet, it gave an angry cry before flying off into the trees.

I grinned at White. "See? It's as simple as that. However, they won't normally run away like that one just did."

She nodded slowly and set her face determinedly. "Alright! I think I'm ready to try!"

I gave her a thumbs-up as she walked ahead with Clefy at her side. "That's the spirit!" Running along after them, I watched her step slowly down the path, keeping an eye out for any other Pokemon out here with us. Unexpectedly, an Eevee leaped out onto the path, surprising White and baring its little teeth at her.

"What's that?!" She asked frantically, backing up as the Eevee advanced.

"Take a look!" I showed her my Pokedex which was booted up on Eevee's information page.

**"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Eevee is a unique Pokémon that can adapt to its environment by changing its form and abilities when evolving."**

"Wow…" White breathed out. "That's so cool!"

I giggled and looked back at the small Pokemon. "You're quite lucky! It's rare to find an Eevee in the wild!"

"So I should try catching it?" She suggested.

I nodded quickly. "Definitely!"

Giving me a nod of her own, she took a step forward, stopping the Eevee in its tracks. It quickly recovered, though, bursting into a Quick Attack that crashed into Clefy and made White yelp.

"Hang in there!" I cheered from the sidelines. "You can do it!"

"Okay!" She looked at Clefy stood back up and awaited her command. "M-metronome!"

Clefy flicked a light in his fingers and in an instant let loose a nasty Razor Leaf. To both our surprise, the Eevee weaved through the attack, dodging each leaf until it broke through the storm and slammed into Clefy with another Quick Attack.

"Such speed!" White commented amazed. "We'll never be able to hit it!"

"Don't give up!" I told her with a fist pump.

She nodded doubtfully and had Clefy use Metronome again. This time, it became Brick Break which hit the opponent dead on. As Clefy leapt back to White's side, the Eevee grudgingly got to its feet and growled.

"Now! While it's weak!" I shouted.

Grabbing one of the Pokeballs she'd sat beside a nearby tree, she threw it at the panting Pokemon and watched as the ball burst open and the Eevee disappeared inside with a flash of light. The Pokeball fell back on the ground, and White started cheering.

"I did it!" She began doing a happy dance until I rained on her parade and pointed at the Pokeball.

It broke open, and the Eevee stood free once more, crouching into a fighting position to resume battling.

White blinked and sweatdropped. "Aww…"

"It may not always work on the first try!" I reminded her. "Just keep at it!"

She nodded and tossed another Pokeball only to be met with the same results. Stomping her foot with a huff, she proceeded use every one of the Pokeballs Green had given her. I tried to break into her flurry of throws but got cut off every time as she went on until standing there five minutes later, panting and glaring at the defiant Pokemon.

"Why can't I just catch you?!" She asked the little brown rebel.

"I was trying to tell you," I said with a sigh. "Since it wasn't apparently damaged enough after the first few Pokeballs, you should've attacked it some more. Before you ran out of them."

She noticed her empty pile for the first time and smiled sheepishly. "Oops!"

Giggling at her ignorance, I walked over and took an evaluation of the Eevee before handing White another of my Pokeballs. "I'm going into town to get some more. Keep battling until I get back. Here's Granbull in case you need some backup."

She called out to me as I started walking away. "Don't take too long!"

I laughed at her again and released Jiggly. "Don't worry! You'll be fine!"

Jiggly inflated, and soon we were headed for Saffron. It didn't take long to reach the Pokemart and ring the clerk up for another ten Pokeballs.

"There you are!" He said cheerfully. Putting a finger up as if he'd just remembered something, he disappeared under the counter a moment before popping back up with a single white and red Pokeball. "And here's your Premier Ball! Free of charge when you buy ten Pokeballs!"

I raised a disapproving eyebrow at it but took the free Pokeball nonetheless and thanked the man, dashing out of the doors to hurry back to White. Hopefully she was doing okay. I shook my head with a smile as Jiggly started floating back towards Copycat's house. She would be fine. I had given her Granbull, too. Besides, I'd only been gone a total of, like, ten minutes.

How bad could things have possibly gotten?

I heard the sounds of battle in the trees below and had Jiggly descend, landing where White had been trying to catch the Eevee before I left. When my feet touched the ground, I sweatdropped at what I found awaiting me.

Clefy had been completely knocked out, lying on the grass with swirly eyes as Granbull was about to do the same. The Eevee appeared to still be willing to fight while White was growing more and more anxious. Seeing me returning Jiggly to her Pokeball, she waved me over and hung her head.

"Thank goodness!" She exclaimed. "I'm about ready to pass out!"

I checked the Eevee's info on my Pokedex, and my eyelids slumped halfway. "Um, mind telling me how a level 25 Pokemon has almost knocked out two of mine?"

White chuckled nervously. "First-timer, remember?"

I face-palmed. "Well, it looks like it's good to capture now. How about you take another try?"

She nodded and dug into the new pile of Pokeballs I took out of my bag. As she steadily went through them once more, I made sure to keep the Premier Ball inside my pack. They were normally unreliable so I didn't see why I should get her hope's up about it working.

When I looked back up, my eyes widened to find that the Pokeballs were all gone again, and the Eevee was glaring at us surrounded by their remains. Again.

White glanced at me helplessly. "Anymore?"

I reluctantly reached into my bag and gave her the Premier Ball. "I wouldn't count on this one. Just letting you know."

"Why not?" She wondered aloud.

I shrugged. "Well, the only way you get them is for free when you buy a ten pack of Pokeballs at the mart. They almost always never work, but I've heard that when they do, it's a symbol of good fortune between the trainer and the Pokemon that they caught."

Trying to look at the bright side, she said, "Maybe it'll work for me!"

She turned back to the Eevee who was eyeing us warily. When it saw the last Pokeball in her hand, strangely enough, it nodded at us and dashed off into the woods.

"No, wait!" White cried out, racing after it. "Come back!"

Quickly returning Clefy and Granbull, I chased her through the trees until breaking into an open space on a bank, a streaming river rolling along to the right. Up ahead, the Eevee had stopped, and White was trying to approach it again.

"Now, don't run…" she said friendly. "I'm not going to hurt you…"

The Eevee seemed to smirk at her for a second before rushing onto a natural tree bridge stretching across the river and safely landing on the other side. Determined not to lose her stubborn foe, she followed suit and swiftly moved across the tree. I was right at the base of the trunk when she suddenly slipped and fell into the fast current, giving a piercing scream of surprise as she hit the water.

"White!" I stepped off the tree and sprinted along the bank, keeping my eyes pinpointed on her exact location as she was flung upside down underwater. We steadily made our way downstream where it opened up to become a more raging river with a wider path strewn with daunting boulders of all sizes. The flailing girl had just resurfaced, taking in a much-needed breath, when her head smacked right into a cold hard sarsen, knocking her dead out in an instant.

_Oh no._

I saw her unconscious figure start to slip under the waves and immediately threw off my bag to dive in after her. The cold water hit my face with a slap, and I forced my eyes open to look for her drifting body. Swimming as fast as I could, I saw her about five feet ahead and pushed with all my might, my fingers grasping her soaked vest as I came up for a breath and latched onto a passing boulder with a death grip.

Shaking the water from my eyes, I frantically grasped White as I searched for a way to get us back on the bank. Like an idiot, I'd left my bag with my Pokeballs on land far behind us, and there was no one in sight that could help. The current tugged at us again, and I almost lost my hold on the giant rock when I heard someone high above us.

"White! Blue!"

I hastily craned my neck up to see Black in the air atop his Flying type. Taking in our dire situation, he flew in close and tried to get near enough to pull us out, but the river was moving too fast.

"I can't get any closer!" He yelled from five feet up. "I'll get sucked in!"

I sputtered as some water got in my mouth. "We've got to think of something! I can't hang on forever!"

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound, and both Black and I snapped our heads around to see a brown blur flash across the river's surface and come to a stop atop the boulder I was hanging onto. My eyes widened as I saw that it was the Eevee that White had been attempting to catch.

With a strength that boggled my mind, the little Pokemon used a Bite attack to latch onto White and drag her up onto the rock with it. When she was secure, it reached back down for me, and I winced slightly as its little teeth slowly pulled me up.

Lying on my side and panting, I curled up in recoil as something lifted me in the air. My old fear of birds temporarily resurfaced until I opened my eyes and saw that it was Black's Pokemon that was carrying White and me in its claws, the boy giving the Eevee who had jumped on beside him a curious glance.

We didn't go far, landing right next to where I'd been holding onto the boulder. Upon release, I collapsed on the ground and attempted to regain my breath. Black jumped down and hurriedly knelt before White's unmoving form, shaking her shoulders to wake her up.

"White! Come on!" He shouted worriedly.

"Calm down," I managed to get out. He turned his anxious face to me as I coughed up a little water. "She got hit on the head. She'll be fine."

"We need to look at it," he suggested, helping me to my feet before returning his Pokemon and bending down to pick her up. "Let's go back to the others."

He was about to take his first step when the Eevee dashed in front of him and growled.

"What's wrong?" He mused aloud.

The small Pokemon slowly moved around to Black's backside, and we both turned around to see it vaguely gesturing at a cave set into a hill that overlooked the river. Seeing this, we aimed for the natural inlet and followed it inside where the Eevee led us halfway before turning back around and refusing to let us go any further.

"That's strange…" Black commented until directing his attention back to White. Carefully setting her on the floor, he directed me to support her neck while he took his jacket off and put it beneath her head.

"She seems okay," I told him, noting her normal breathing.

He nodded and found the small bump on the back of her head. "It's not too bad." His eyebrows scrunched. "Where'd her hat go?"

I noticed that it was gone, too, and glanced back outside. "She must have lost it when she fell in."

I jerked in surprise when I felt something furry touch my arm and scooted over when the Eevee came up beside us and looked down at her. The expression of rebellion it'd had with her earlier was missing, and instead it appeared to be concerned. After a second, it ran outside, leaving me and Black with White.

"Definitely strange," Black concluded. "But most definitely clever. That was creative how it used Quick Attack to reach the boulder you two were hanging onto."

"Very smart indeed," I agreed. My eyes wandering around the small dim cave, I curiously stared into the darkness where the Eevee had cut us off and paused when I heard something shuffle. Slowly standing up, Black watched as I crept towards the sound, inching closer and closer until my shoe gently nudged something soft.

Lowering to my knees, my eyes widened as they adjusted to the dark and found another Eevee lying there. Lightly grazing its fur, I pulled back when I felt a fever on its forehead and heard it give a pained moan.

"What is it?" Black asked. "Is it okay?"

I stood up and went back over to him. "I think I just figured out why that Eevee led us here." Black looked at me questionably, and I started walking for the entrance. "There's another one who I'm pretty sure has a nasty poison by the way its tossing and turning. I'm going to go grab my bag from upstream. I've got some medicine stuff in there!"

Jogging out into the sunlight, I raced down the bank again, watching the grass for my yellow sack until it came into view. I swiftly picked it up and started heading for the cave. On my way, I spotted some Oran and Chesto Berries that I thought might be beneficial to White. After taking a few for her, I went back to the cave.

Inside, I could see that the Eevee had returned right ahead of me, anxiously holding White's sodden hat out to Black. Taking it with a smile, he petted the Pokemon on the head. "You must have gone and looked for it. Thanks!"

It gave him a terse nod, watching White intently and looking up at me as I stalked over to them. Kneeling down, I took the two berries out of my bag along with a Potion and an Antidote that I handed to Black.

"You go treat the Eevee while I tend to White," I demanded, breaking off a piece of the Oran Berry first to give to the unconscious girl. He took a moment to agree but finally did and went back to the injured Pokemon, the Eevee next to White noticing his actions and warily following him.

I got White to take the Berry and had her also eat the Chesto before waiting to see if it would help. After a few minutes of restlessness, I sighed in relief as her eyes popped open, and she looked around.

"Where are we?" She sat up and winced as her head hit the cave wall. "Ow! Arceus, what hit my head?"

"A boulder," I chuckled. Turning in the darkness to where Black was healing the other Eevee, I laughed out loud when I saw that its poison had been cured and was happily leaping atop of his hat and making him fall over.

Relieved that its companion was okay once more, the first Eevee turned back around to White and me, bowing its little head in gratitude. We smiled at it, and the Pokemon ran up to the black-booted girl's side. Its face seemed to be asking if she was alright, and the brunette laughed as I told her that it had been the one to pull us out of the river.

"I'm fine and dandy thanks to you I guess!" She said happily.

Her words seemed to put it at ease, and it pulled at her arm with its sharp tiny teeth.

"What?" She asked curiously.

She followed it to the cave's entrance where it exited out into the open space and crouched down. Realizing that it was a fighting stance, White turned to me with a tilted head. "I…I think it still wants to battle."

I looked at it and smiled when I saw the smugly happy expression on its face. "I don't think that's quite it."

"Huh?" She blinked at me as I strode over and handed her Clefy's Pokeball along with the last empty Pokeball that she had. Taking the Premier Ball, two and two clicked together in her head as she looked back at the Pokemon with wide eyes. "It wants me to catch it?"

I nodded with a smile. "I think so! So don't waste your Pokeball! It's the last one!"

White set her face and grinned. "Right!"

I leaned back against the entrance and watched as she sent out Clefy who had rested enough to have a little strength and had him use Metronome, a little more confidence in her words than when she'd first started out today. The Eevee was already hurt from their previous battle, and the Stun Spore that Clefy produced hit it directly, creating the perfect setup for capture.

Once the Eevee had been paralyzed and couldn't move from its kneeled position, White aimed and threw the Premier Ball, watching with hope in her eyes as it hit the Pokemon's head and popped open. She held her breath as the Pokeball blinked and wiggled, not letting it out even when the light went out with a ding.

Coming up and putting a hand on her shoulder, I laughed. "You can breathe now! You caught it!"

Her breath came out in a whoosh, and she picked up the Pokeball in ecstasy. "I DID IT!"

She started running around in an excited circle, and I cautiously backed away with a smile, ducking into the cave to check on Black. Finding him the dark, I started laughing again as I saw the other Eevee pouncing all over him and pinning the boy helplessly to the floor.

"I'd say you've made a new friend," I told him, surprising the Pokemon and causing it to run behind his back.

He shook his head in agreement and smiled. "I think you're right!" He noticed that it was gone and beckoned it out from behind his back. It shyly poked its head out and dove for his lap, hiding its head timidly from me.

"You make a good pair," I told him approvingly. "Why not take it along with you? I believe it already has an affinity for you for healing it like you did."

"That's a good idea!" He declared. Glancing down at the Eevee, he grinned. "Would you like to join my team?"

The little Pokemon tilted its head before grasping his words and jumping around happily. Giving a small laugh, Black stood up to grab his jacket from the ground and pulled out an unused Pokeball. Gently tossing it the air, the Eevee leapt up to meet it halfway and disappeared inside. After a few shakes and blinks of light, Black too received a new team member.

"Let's go show White!" He said excitedly, aiming for the entrance.

Slyly narrowing my eyes at a thought that popped into my head, I yanked him back and stood in front of his way out. "So how did you know we were in trouble?"

His eyes widened at my question. "W-what do you mean?"

I stared him down and smirked mischievously. "We were way too far away for you guys to have heard us. So how were you able to find us?"

"I-I don't know," he shrugged nervously with a chuckle and scratched his chin. "I guess my ears must have been strained at just the right moment."

"Mhm…" I hummed knowingly. "So why didn't the others come with you? Surely they didn't just let you go off alone at the sound of White's scream?"

He tugged anxiously at his cap, and I saw the blush coming to his cheeks as he slid his jacket back on. "N-no…I-I told them that I was going to check on you guys. They didn't hear White."

"But you did?" I rechecked deviously.

"Y-yeah. I just didn't want them to worry. In case there really wasn't anything wrong."

He fiddled with his new Eevee's Pokeball, and I silently chuckled to myself. "Interesting…"

"Huh?!" He asked quickly.

I looked away and skipped out of the cave. "Oh nothing."

He raced out after me as I started walking towards White who was still happily running around in a circle. "Hey! What did you say—"

"Black! I did it!" White exclaimed, clasping his hands excitedly.

His earlier blush came back full force, and he gave up his chase on me to try and force it away. "Did what?"

"I caught my first Pokemon!" She proudly showed him the stubborn Eevee that smirked from inside its white Pokeball.

"And with a Premier Ball," I reminded her. "That means you're going to have good fortune with that Pokemon."

"Really?" Black said surprised, bringing out his own new Pokeball. "I did too!" He hit its button, and the timid Eevee jumped out onto the grass, shyly keeping to Black's side.

"No way!" White released her Eevee who sat up with its chin held high in front of her. "Where did you find one?"

"Yours was leading us to this cave the whole time because this one was sick and needed help," Black explained to her. Seeing its friend, his Eevee gave a cry of delight and ran forward to rub its head against White's.

"That's so sweet," she sighed adoringly before snapping her fingers. "Now I've got to give her a name!"

"Her?" I asked curiously.

"Of course!" She told me. "Now how about Phoebe? Or Claire? Ooh! Or maybe Jezebel?!"

"White, how do you even know your Eevee's a girl?" Black questioned.

She closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "I just do!"

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Pokedex which flipped on to read the new data it had just obtained. After scanning it for a moment, he looked at her and smirked. "Oh really? Because that's not what this says."

White's eyes snapped open, and she ran to his side to read the screen. "What?! _Yours_ is the girl?!"

Black busted out laughing at her outrageous surprise. "Yep! And you got the boy!"

She rolled her eyes at him and huffed. "Well, at least mine's a boy that's smart and bold and dashing. He's simply perfect!"

He smiled and picked up his Eevee, scratching her beneath the chin. "And mine's a sweet timid girl that's simply adorable."

Both of them froze, each staring at their Pokemon, then each other, and back to their Pokemon again. I mentally started screaming happily and laughing like crazy as they blushed violently and turned away from one another. _Ah, young love…_I raised an eyebrow. _Wait. I'm young. But I'm not in love…okay, possibly….no, definitely not! …well perhaps yes…Arceus no!_

A cough from White broke my thoughts, and she slowly faced Black again with less rosy cheeks. "So, we still have to name them."

"I know!" He said with a finger in the air. "Eevee evolves into seven different forms, and all their names end in eon. So, I'll call her Eon!"

White looked at her Eevee for a moment. "Since we found them together…h-how about we name them Yin and Yang?"

Black stared at her blankly then suddenly burst into a radiant grin. "That's great! We'll have Yin!" He rubbed his Eevee between the ears. "And Yang!"

White smiled at her boy Eevee and nodded. "I like it!"

"Yay!" I cheered. "White caught her first Pokemon!" I jumped up in joy, and when I came back down, I heard the water squelch in my shoes and narrowed my eyes. "I think now would be a good time to head back to Mrs. Sage's house and change into some dry clothes."

White instantly agreed, and Black and I brought out our modes of transportation. As White and Yang set themselves onto Black's Pokemon with him and Yin, I got a head start with Jiggly and began floating towards the top of the cliff that the cave was set into. We were just nearing the top of the hundred foot tall hill when I heard voices coming from over the rise and had Jiggly stop.

Peering over the edge, I froze when I saw three figures sitting there with three matching TR pendants. A few tents were set up around them, and it was obvious that they'd been there for at least one night. There was a flat gray screen on the ground in the middle of their circle, and I could see the blonde girl scrolling her finger along it.

"Now if this reading's correct, they should be in this house right here," Melany told her two main henchmen, indicating at something on the screen.

They nodded, and I watched intently as she proceeded to bring something else up. Hearing a downbeat below me, I glanced that way to see Black and White catching up and silently told them to be quiet. Taking the hint, Black maneuvered his Pokemon next to mine so that he and White too could look over the edge. Identifying the features of the three in front of us, they looked at me for confirmation and frowned when I nodded.

"So when do we get to pay them a visit?" The brunette guy asked Melany.

"Tonight. We'll attack when we see them. But remember! Do not harm the actual residents of the house!" She glared at them sternly. "We need to do this as unnoticed as we can."

They nodded, and I looked at my two companions before turning around and silently heading back towards Copycat's house as fast as Jiggly would go. The other two caught up in no time, and Black waited until he was sure we were far enough away to ask, "We're leaving as soon as we get back, aren't we?"

I gave a tight nod, and he did the same. White glanced behind us blankly and quickly turned back a while later as we came upon the spacious back yard where the three remaining boys were taking a breather. They looked up in surprise as we came into view, and Black and White returned their new Pokemon before we touched down.

"What took you guys so long?" Red asked. "We were starting to wonder…"

"No time," I said quickly, putting Jiggly back in her Pokeball as Black did so with his Pokemon. "It's time for us to go."

Green's eyes narrowed. "Go? As in, relocate?"

"Yes," I told him firmly. "We just saw Melany and her guys not far from here. They're coming tonight. Mrs. Sage and Copycat should be alright as long as we get away from here as soon as possible."

The boys took in the news silently, and Red was the first to react, rushing back to the house to no doubt get Yellow ready to leave. The rest of us went after him and entered the house just in time to see our hosts getting home from Copycat's soccer practice.

"Lulu, you're back!" The dark-haired girl said, hugging me in her team jersey with a soccer ball under the crook of her arm. "And you're in your clothes now!" She scrunched her eyebrows as she realized that everybody was moving around in anticipation, and Silver was speaking quietly with Mrs. Sage. "Lulu, what's going on?"

I bit my lip, not wanting to tell her that we were about to leave. "Well, see the thing is, it's time for us to head to the next town. I have to keep up my tour of Kanto for Black and White, remember?"

Her eyes widened as she remembered Green's fake story, and her mouth hung open a little. "Y-you mean, Lulu's going away?"

I nodded slowly and frowned sadly as her dark irises started going shiny. "B-but Lulu was going to help me keep Chan-chan. You were going to help me convince Mummy."

I knelt next to her and smiled. "Actually, I thought of a better idea."

The little girl sniffled. "What?"

"Take Chan-chan back to the Pokemon Center." I stopped her before she could protest. "That way, you can go there to see her every day. Plus! You can help her and Nurse Joy with the other Pokemon and learn how to heal and take care of them just like your mom does!"

After mulling it over for a moment, she smiled brightly at the thought and hugged me tight. "That sounds great! I've always wanted to be like Mummy!"

I hugged her back and smiled sadly. "I-I'm glad that it all works out for you then."

She pulled away slightly and looked at me with round eyes. "Lulu still has to go, though…doesn't she?"

I nodded with a shaky, "Uh-huh."

Copycat did the same and wiped at her eyes. "Does Lulu still have my dream catcher?"

I smiled faintly and took it out of my bag where I had put it ever since I'd changed clothes. "Yep."

"Good," she told me firmly, a tear starting to roll from her eye. "I-I want Lulu to take it. That way you'll remember me."

I could feel my voice crack as I said, "I'd never forget my number fan, now would I?"

That seemed to break her spirit, and she hugged me again, arms holding tight as tears streamed down her face. "B-bye-bye, Lulu…"

I sucked in a breath and kissed the little girl on the head. "Bye-bye, Copycat."

Releasing our hold, I stood up and ruffled her hair gently, walking towards the door as the others gave their gratitude and farewells. While they filed out the door, I gave Copycat another smile and wave before following behind Red who not surprisingly had Yellow in his arms. The girl waved back with a loud sniffle, and I closed the door behind me after thanking Mrs. Sage for everything.

Outside, I saw the others taking out their aerial Pokemon, but I just stood there for a second. It hurt to have to say good-bye to Copycat. It was like she'd become the little sister that I'd never had. I mean, Yellow was like that, too, but it wasn't like the way Copycat was.

Sighing unsteadily, I stepped off the porch for the final time and brought out Jiggly, climbing onto her back to catch up with the others who were already in the air. As I tagged along to the back of our little flying herd, I saw Green drop back a little on Charizard and look at me sadly. I only glanced down and shut my eyes.

"So where are we headed next?" I shouted over the wind.

I couldn't see him, but I could very well hear the sorrow in his voice. "We're on the east side of town so we just quickly decided on Celadon."

I opened my eyes and nodded, turning sideways and accidentally catching his.

"I'm sorry, Blue," he told me, true regret in his forest green orbs. "I know how much you enjoyed being there."

I just slightly shook my head. "The peaceful days weren't going to last forever."

"They will once we finish this," he said firmly, causing me to look up at his set face. "I promise."

I smiled a little at him, and he did the same, both of us holding the other's gaze a moment longer before flying a bit closer and focusing on following the others as they lead the way towards what I could only hope would be our new safe haven.

* * *

Gardevoir: I saw what you just did there.

Me: *blinks* What?

Gardevoir: You just tried to name a main character's Pokemon off of yourself.

Me: *holds up finger* Actually, it's only mere coincidence that I chose for them to catch Eevees and that Black tends to nickname his Pokemon based on their evolved forms.

Gardevoir: *narrows eyes* Uh-huh.

Me: *smiles* Yes siree! *to readers* Thanks all for the reviews you've been leaving lately! I can't believe that in only five chapters, I've managed to receive almost the same amount of reviews as I got for the entire first story. You guys are amazing! Keep letting me know your thoughts! Review and return!


	7. Chapter 7: Happy Birthday

Me: *bangs head on desk loudly* Oh. My. Arceus.

Gardevoir: Hey, you can't hurt yourself! That's my job!

Me: I can't believe it! This is the first time ever that I've been late with an update!

Gardevoir: Geez, calm down. It's not that big of a deal. So you've been busy? Who cares?!

Me: *pouting* Still...

Gardevoir: Hey! Cheer up! It's Thanksgiving!

Me: Oh ya! Happy Thanksgiving all! OOOH! And it's Green's birthday!

Gardevoir: See? Nobody's even going to notice that you updated late.

Me: Oh...*Bangs head on desk again*

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop* Oops. ** Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way.**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Green

It was Charizard's loud rumble of a snore that woke me from my sleep, my eyes slowly prying open to see the dark green underside of his wing. When we'd stopped to camp last night, I'd brought him out, and he'd created a tent-like structure with his wings as we'd laid down to rest.

Morning sunlight was streaming in from a couple of gaps, and I shielded myself as one hit my unprepared face directly. It was then that I felt a weight on my stomach, and I rolled my eyes when I looked at what was there.

Of course, it was Blue, using me as a pillow as she slept. I shook my head and leaned on the ground again. _Why am I not surprised?_ My guess was that she'd crawled under Charizard's wing sometime during the night from her make-shift Ditto shelter with Silver.

Looking out of one of the gaps, I saw a rustling from within Aero's wings and assumed that Red was also waking up. Or by some miracle Yellow. But of course that wasn't the case as the black-spiked boy stepped out from his Pokemon's dark cocoon and stretched his arms. Aero seemed to do the same and showed the blonde sleeping on the ground near his claws.

Charizard shifted and cut off my view of them, making me sigh and start to sit up. Blue only shifted position to stay comfortable, and I simply narrowed my eyes, picked up her head, and unceremoniously dropped it on the ground. Finally able to get off my back, I placed my arms behind me and stretched out my knees as she gave a small groan and slowly lifted her head to glare at me.

"Care to wake me up like a normal person?" She asked irritated.

"Don't use me as a pillow next time," I retorted, watching her cross her arms and smirk.

"Well, how can I help it?" She said smartly. "You're just so lax and fluffy when you're sleeping. It's hard not to when you lose all that tenseness and calm down for once." She twirled a piece of her hair and stuck her tongue out. "Then again, you seem to be getting soft nowadays even when you are awake."

I scoffed angrily and curled my wrist. The audacity! I trained with my Pokemon _all day, every day_. There was _no_ way I was…_fluffy._

She laughed at my expression. "It appears as though you disagree."

Huffing, I turned away and started to stand up. "Because it appears as though you're wrong. I'm neither flaccid nor…fluffy."

The girl fell to the ground laughing as the foreign word traveled from my brain and left my mouth with a strange taste. After a minute or two, she got back up face to face with me and wiped a tear from her eye as I sat back on my knees.

"You know what, you're right," she told me in mock agreement, lightly punching my arm. "I guess it's just your personality. But I guess you have been hanging around me a lot lately. I must be growing on you!"

I rolled my eyes and fully stood up, causing Charizard to lift his wing and reveal us to the world. "Dream on, pesky girl."

My Pokemon let out a heated yawn as Blue and I watched Silver emerge from the Ditto tent, look back at it, and shudder a little.

"Never make me do that again," he told Blue, his boots tromping on the grass as he walked over to us. "It felt like I was…_in_ that Pokemon." He shuddered again. "Not a particularly pleasant thought."

"It's only Ditty," she laughed with a flick of her hand. "He would never eat you!"

The redhead crossed his arms. "So why didn't you sleep in it, too?"

Red suddenly appeared behind him and smirked with narrowed eyes. "I think what you should be asking is why did she sleep with Green?"

Silver caught onto what he was saying, and Blue's mouth dropped open as they started laughing.

"I-I was cold!" She said quickly, slapping the two to get them to stop. "And Charizard was warm. Opposites attract, right?"

Red and Silver were reduced to chuckles, and they turned to each other with a grin again. "Yes, they do."

Blue's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," the two shrugged innocently. Giving her a smile, they walked away to restart last night's campfire and wake up Black and White.

"Wait!" She protested after them. "That's my thing!"

"Well, hey," I told her. "Congratulations. Looks like you're rubbing off on people."

She scoffed at me and went to return her Ditto with an irritated stomp. Sighing at the girl, I looked up at the sky to find the sun still awhile away from noon.

It'd been about nine last night before we'd reached Celadon and decided to camp out instead of trying to find a safe hotel. Sure, sleeping in a bed beat lying on the ground, but as long as we were off the radar, I don't think any of us really minded.

Glancing around for Red, my eyes went to the softly breathing pile of feathers where the two Unova kids were sleeping under Black's Flying type Pokemon. Shaking my head slightly, I started towards Aero where I had a feeling he'd unconsciously detoured for.

As I'd thought, he was propping Yellow up against a tree, hoping to put her in a more comfortable position. Once he'd let go of her, he placed a hand on her forehead.

"Searching for a fever?" I asked, coming up beside him and pulling a stray leaf from his cap less head. Sleeping in a hat wasn't always so fun so his was currently lying on the ground next to Aero who had decided to go back to sleep.

He nodded. "I'm trying to see if any symptoms have started showing up. Anything's possible at this point."

I looked to his face at the strain in his voice and saw him staring at her blankly. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I did my best to reassure him. "She'll wake up. Don't worry."

He smiled faintly with a light huff. "You make it sound like it's easy." He gave the girl another look before sighing. "Why am I such an idiot?"

I raised an eyebrow slightly at him. "Come again?"

He closed his eyes and frowned. "I'm supposed to be strong, right?" He opened them and looked at me. "So how did I let this happen?"

My heart twisted a little, and my mouth hung down a moment as I tried to say something. How had I become the one in charge of encouragement between us? First Deoxys defeated the fighting spirit out of him, and now this. I glanced at the pain in his eyes and shook my head slightly. I'd known him for almost six years now, and I'd always been the serious one. Since when had he seemed to grow up?

"It's not your fault," I told him, trying to convince the boy that it was true. "So stop saying that it is."

"But it is!" He exclaimed, clenching his fist. "Arceus, if I hadn't just looked at was really happening the whole time, we might not be here!" He threw his arms up around at the forest. "We might not be camping out here on the run from a group of kidnappers!" His fingers flicked to the girl on the ground. "She might not be lying here, unable to wake up because I was too stupid to stop _my own_ _brother _from doing it to her!"

"RED!" I grabbed his shoulders and cuffed him across the face. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

His head snapped sideways at my slap, and he slowly turned back to me, a fresh blank expression on his face. After staring at me for a good minute, he let out a breath and smiled a bit. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

I cracked a slight grin and released my hold on him. "Maybe just a little."

He chuckled and nodded, bending down to finish checking on Yellow. "We should really find a place to stay today."

I leaned against one of the many trees surrounding our little camp-out clearing. "Probably. It's not the best idea to keep staying out here like this." I placed a hand under my chin. "We could stay at the Pokemon Center, but that would be best as a last resort. A more secluded place would be the better choice right now."

I looked over at Red to see that his eyes had widened, and he was gently holding Yellow's wrist as he completed his checkup. Watching him curiously, I saw both his hands slowly move to her wrist and apply a small pressure. A minute later, he froze completely.

"What is it?" I knelt down beside him, suddenly wary at the look of fear in his eyes.

"H-her pulse," he whispered. "I can barely feel it."

My own eyes widened, and I grabbed her other wrist, adopting a stance similar to his as I realized that he was right. It was as if her heart had slowed down to the point of barely beating enough to keep her body alive.

Red saw that I believed him and stood up quickly. "What does it mean?"

I did the same, her normal breathing creating a mass of confusion in my mind. "I-I'm not sure. It was probably nothing. We must have imagined it."

He nodded doubtfully but seemed to gradually let it go anyway.

I gave the girl another look before forcing myself to focus back on everyone else. "Come on. We need to go wake up Black and White."

I started walking toward the heap of feathers, and Red followed reluctantly, glancing over his back a few times until we stopped in front of the foreign bird-like Pokemon.

"I think it's about time we found out what this species is called," I decided, taking out my Pokedex from my bag. The screen flashed to life, and the reader instantly kicked in.

**"Braviary, the Brave Bird Pokemon. They fight for their friends without any thought about danger to themselves. One can carry a car while flying."**

Red craned his neck over my shoulder and whistled. "Pretty good stats. No wonder I had a hard time beating it yesterday."

Our voices seemed to have done the trick as something stirred from deep within the feathers. Red and I watched in surprise as two Eevees popped out, only their heads showing from the abyss.

"…I thought Black and White were in there," Red scratched his head.

"We are!" Two more faces appeared next to the Eevees, both of them belonging to a groggy brunette.

White yawned. "Is it morning already?"

Black did likewise, and his Braviary followed suit, revealing its massive head and stretching its powerful jaw.

I nodded. "Time to get up. We've got stuff to do today."

Ruefully, they climbed out of the small comfy space Braviary had made with its wings, the two Eevees jumping out with them.

"Um, whose are those?" Red asked, lightly pointing a finger at the pair.

The brunettes smiled, and each picked up an Eevee. After observing them for a moment, they laughed and switched Pokemon.

"_This_ is Yin," Black chuckled, showing the timid Eevee in his arms. "And _that_ is Yang."

"We just caught them yesterday!" White told us proudly.

"So that's the first Pokemon you've captured?" I questioned, recalling what she'd said when I asked her to battle.

"Mhm," she hummed and happily petted her Eevee's soft fur.

"Great choice!" Red approved enthusiastically. "Eevee's are very special Pokemon. I even had one myself."

"Really?!" Black's eyes widened in surprise as he nodded.

"Yeah!" Red took one of the Pokeballs from his belt and showed it to the younger boy who smiled widely at the Espeon he saw inside.

"Look, Yin!" He told his Eevee excitedly. "That's what you'll be like someday!"

"You've got to remember, Black," Red reminded him with a kind huff and closed eyes. "Eevee has seven different evolutions. Depending on how your journey goes, it might become something other than an Espeon."

"True," the chocolate-eyed boy admitted. "But we can try!"

Red chuckled, and I turned around to see that Silver and Blue had started up our campfire again. Beckoning to the others to follow, I walked over to where the last two were sitting on the ground counting out the last few things of food Mrs. Sage had given us before we left.

"Oran juice, pink Apricorns…Aha!" Blue bit her tongue as she dug her hand into the satchel the food was in and pulled out a package with a triumphant grin. "Hot dogs!"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "For breakfast?"

She shrugged. "Why not? Besides, we could all do with something warm in our stomachs."

I rolled my eyes at her but let the girl continue anyway. "Might as well eat them before they go bad."

She grinned and handed me the package, disappearing into the trees for a few minutes until coming back with six long sticks. Ripping the seal, she stuck a hot dog on each end and gathered everyone around the fire before handing each person their own stick.

"Breakfast time!" She cheered, blue eyes laughing as she placed her meal into the flames.

The rest of us watched curiously for a second before doing so ourselves. It wasn't long until the food was gone, and we threw our sticks into the fire with a satisfied appetite.

"So now what?" Black asked, leaning back on a tree and stroking the feathers of his Braviary who had come over to his side and set down to nap again.

"We find another place to stay," I said simply, and Red nodded in firm agreement.

"It's not safe to keep out in the woods like this," the black-haired trainer said with a look at his surroundings. "They could sneak up on us at any time."

"But where can we go?" White pondered, putting her hands in the air. "Celadon City was where Black and I went when we first arrived. There's one hotel in town, but they won't let us stay there because we have Pokemon. The only place we could check into would be the Pokemon Center." She smiled sadly. "That's out of the question, though, isn't it?"

Red nodded right away. "Totally. If we need to stay out here, then we probably could." He sighed. "I just wish there was some other place. Are you sure you checked all around town?"

She put a hand under her chin as she thought back to their first encounter with the city. "Well, after the Center, we saw the Game Corner and passed by the mall…"

Red scrunched his eyebrows. "The mall…the mall…" He closed his eyes as if remembering something until suddenly popping them back open with a smile. "I've got it!"

"What is it?" Blue asked with an excited curiosity.

"It might be a long shot, but for now, it's all I can think of," he said, almost to himself. Snapping his fingers determinedly, he got to his feet and walked over to Aero who'd been patiently waiting for us to figure out what we were going to do. Before he could climb on, I rushed after him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" I demanded, looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"I can't promise anything, but I think I know a place we can go," he told us all. "I'm going to see if it'll be possible."

"Well, I'm coming, too," I said firmly, walking over to Charizard and getting on his back. "It's not a good idea to go anywhere alone at the moment."

He nodded grimly, and Blue stood up, looking at us a bit annoyed. "What do you want us to do? Just wait here until you get back?"

Both Red and I smirked at her, and quickly got into the air, leaving her to throw a fit with the others. It was better that only the two of us went. It'd be easier to go unnoticed that way. When we stopped last night, our campsite had been in the forest just off the main road of Route 7 so it didn't take long to reach the city. I followed Red as he flew downtown and landed near the sparkling fountain that created a great tourist attraction for the mall. Returning my Pokemon after touching down, I turned to find him looking up at the many stores of the building.

"So why exactly did we come here?" I questioned him. We started for the front doors and entered the brightly lit lobby, dodging out of the way as a stream of enthusiastic shoppers rushed on by.

"There's someone here that may be able to help us," he said simply while weaving through the mass of moving citizens and jumping into a nearby elevator, pulling me in with him before I got swept away by the crowd.

"And who would that be?" The elevator began moving, and he shrugged a little uncertainly after hitting the third floor button.

"I'm not quite sure what her name was, but Yellow and I ran into her before the Reunion."

The floor number lights continued to flash, and I shook my head. "And you just think that this person's going to give—or even have—somewhere for us to hide out for a little while?"

The idiot must have missed the sarcasm in my voice for he only gave me a big smile and nodded. "Yep!"

I rolled my eyes and sighed as we came to a stop and stepped out of the opening doors. He lead the way past an electronic store directly opposite to an upstairs restaurant and massive dress store before stopping at the entrance to what appeared to be a little art shop. Ignoring the closed sign, he tried to open the door, but it stayed put.

"Man," he said disappointedly. "She's not here."

"You know, a closed sign usually means that the door's locked."

Red and I whipped around at the foreign voice to find a woman standing there with a hand on her hip. She was an elderly lady but still stood tall in a pair of faded jeans and a solid aqua blue T-shirt. Raising an eyebrow at us, she pushed past Red and me to the front door which she unlocked with a key from her pocket.

"Youngsters," she scoffed. "Can't even wait for the store to open before running in." Putting the key away, she took us inside the store where she headed behind the cash register to get ready for the day. "Now what can I help you two with?"

"We're looking for someone," I told her as she grabbed a plain brown apron from a shelf inside the counter and tied it around her waist.

Red shook his head. "No, it's her."

"What are you kids talking about?" She interrupted us in annoyance. Glancing at Red, her eyes clouded over a moment before widening a little. "Wait…aren't you the boy I did a portrait on a few weeks ago?"

Red smiled brightly, and she did the same back to him. "Well, it's great to see you again! I hope you excuse me for that sudden request." She scratched her head in embarrassment. "I tend to do things on random without thinking. Call it a result of obsessive abstract painting." Looking around us curiously, her eyes went back to Red. "Where's your girlfriend? I'd have thought she'd be with you."

Red's face instantly went crimson, and I had to hold back a laugh as he quickly waved his hands. Even the random storeowner thought they were dating!

"N-no! She's not my girlfriend!" He stammered with flustered motions.

"Oh!" She gave a nervous chuckle. "I guess that portrait was a bit uneasy for you two then, wasn't it? Ah, I've got to stop assuming things. But still, where is she?"

Red coughed a little and tried to make the rose leave his cheeks. "Actually, that's why we're here. We need a place to stay. Don't worry—it's nothing permanent! Just somewhere for us to recuperate before deciding on where to go next."

"Sure, sure!" She said happily, coming around the counter to us and flicking a hand. "No problem! Anyway, I think I owe after that portrait. Eheh…"

Red chuckled a bit uneasily, and she laughed at him. "Follow me."

The lady led us to the back of her store, opening a door that went into a very long warmly lit hallway. Taking us down the corridor, she came to a halt a while later at one of the many doors we had passed and unlocked it with a different key from her apron. Holding it open, she walked in after us as we entered a different department store, this one filled with multiple rooms each representing that of a house.

"This is my husband's home goods shop," the woman explained, taking us into the bedroom area where both walls were lined with king-sized beds. "It's got everything a normal house does and more. You're lucky he's out of town. The store would've been open to customers if he wasn't."

"I can't believe this," Red said, walking down the aisle before turning back with a smile. "It's perfect! I don't know how we can ever thank you!"

She smirked and raised a hand. "Whoa there. I believe there's something you forgot to do."

His smile faltered a little. "Eh?"

Her arms crossed. "There's a perfectly good Pokemon Center down the street, yet you're here asking me for a place to stay." She looked at me and narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"

I turned to Red who had frozen mid-cheer. When I saw the helpless look in his eyes, I sighed and gazed back at the waiting lady.

"Where do I even begin…"

* * *

"A BED!"

Blue was already halfway in air when we stepped into the room. Black and White were in the kitchen section scoping out the area, and Silver and Red were with me watching Blue's delight, Yellow curled up in the latter's arms. The shopkeeper, whose name we had learned to be Kathy, was back at her own store seeing to the daily customers but had told us we were free to make ourselves at home. Once she'd heard our story, the woman hadn't wasted anytime shoving us out the door and ordering us to bring back the others.

Blue was about to land on the mattress's comfy surface when Silver jumped straight forward and snatched her out of the air, sending them both tumbling into the aisle.

"Ow, Silver!" Blue cried out as she sat up and clutched her head. "What was that for?"

The redhead helped her stand up and grabbed the end of her shirt. "We're still dirty. It's not polite to dirty other people's property."

Her face went blank, and she blinked a few times before sighing. "Fine. Listen to the good manners lessons I give you but not the hotwiring cars one."

He gave her a small smile, and she gave him a mock frown, swatting his hand away. Stopping suddenly, her eyebrows scrunched, and her grip tightened. She swiftly lifted his arm and narrowed her eyes at him when she saw the half inch of skin between the end of his jacket and glove.

"You're growing!" She commented happily, though her suspicious eyes were still present. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Silver tried to keep a straight face, but I could see the panic beginning to form. "I-I didn't want you to worry about it."

She chuckled evilly. "Uh-huh. Well, you know what this means."

The boy cringed as she put a fist in the air and grinned.

"Shopping spree!"

"Oh no," he said weakly as the girl started dragging his resistant form towards the door leading back to the art shop.

She paused and turned back as if remembering something. "I'll need someone to carry my bags." Her eyes scanned over the only two conscious people in the room. "Eenie, meenie, minie…Green!"

"What?!" I said incredulously. "Why do I have to? Red's perfectly capable of doing it."

The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow at me after setting Yellow down onto a bed, and I sighed angrily. "Fine. Let's get it over with."

Blue clapped happily and came back to latch onto my arm. Once she had Silver and me secured, she skipped us (or at least tried to) out of the housing store, down the hallway and through the art shop, and into the brightly lit floor of the mall.

"Time to get started!" She cheered. The brunette pulled us all over the floor, searching for just the right store. When she didn't find it, we took the elevator to all the other levels until she finally halted in front of one on the fifth.

"Here it is!" She let go of our arms and dashed for the front doors. "I always go clothes shopping at this place. Best designs ever!"

"Yay…" Silver and I muttered as we followed her in.

The store was mainly composed of one floor chocked full of different areas pertaining to different people. Children's, adults, toddlers…you get the idea. Blue skipped all of those sections however and headed straight for the teenager and young adults domain. Her white hat quickly disappeared as she dispersed herself among the racks of the guys' clothes.

"Come on!" Her voice came from within the deep maze. "You better get in here and start looking or else I'll be forced to choose for you!"

That made Silver's ears perk, and he quickly went in after her. I was content with staying out of there and waiting, listening to them bicker as they fought over what he should wear.

"I don't want anything new," he told her for the sixth time. "I'm perfectly okay with what I have now."

"For the love of Moltres, I am buying you something, and that's that!" I saw him get thrown back into the walkway where I was standing and sweatdrop. "If you won't help me, then just stand there like a statue with Green!"

Dusting his arms, the redhead came to my side and crossed his arms. "This has got to be the worst thing I've ever had to go through."

I huffed in agreement. "You and me both."

We heard her shuffling through the racks and humming to herself, settling down on some benches in the nearby shoe department when we realized that this might take a while. The minutes seemed to never end, and Silver was about to nod off when she finally emerged with a big happy grin.

"Here we go!" She had a pile of clothes in her arms which she dumped into Silver's, abruptly bringing him back to consciousness. "Try them on!"

He looked at the clothes uncertainly. "Blue, I don't—"

"Just go!" She demanded, pushing him towards a changing room. Before he could enter it, she put a finger up as a thought entered her mind and raced into the shelves of shoes behind me. Moments later, she came back with a red and black box.

"I saw these from across the room!" She said enthusiastically. "I think they'll go quite well!"

She shoved him completely into a stall before he could protest and promptly told him that she'd lock the door until he changed if she needed to. How she would do that, I had no idea. But Silver seemed to think she was serious and immediately obliged.

"Ah, this is so fun!" She exclaimed with a little hop. Turning to face the rest of the store, she put a finger beneath her chin. "Hm, I guess it's about time Gold and Crystal had an upgrade as well." She grabbed my wrist, and I let out a quick breath as she tore me from my seat. "Let's go look!"

It didn't take long for her to find another rack and start riffling through its contents. I stood behind her with crossed arms and sighed. "I thought we were just getting Silver something to wear."

"A little extra shopping never hurt anyone," she reasoned. "Besides, you could use a new outfit, too."

"Blue, I just got these recently," I told her irritated. "They're fine."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Lift your arms."

Rolling my eyes, I was quite surprised that when I did, a little of my stomach showed.

She smirked. "Told you so."

I put my arms down and grabbed the end of my shirt. "But it hasn't even been that long."

"That's what happens when you train yourself as much as you do," she said smartly, pulling a shirt off the rack before shaking her head and putting it back.

I returned her previous smirk. "So you don't think I'm soft?"

"Ah-ah," she waggled a finger, smiling at me. "I didn't say that. I said your personality was going soft. Thanks to me of course!"

I huffed but let it go, reeling back in surprise when she suddenly stuffed my arms with a pair of brown pants with big pockets on the front. "What is this?"

"No more purple pants for you," she said firmly. Her feet flew as she ran around to the other side where the shirts and jackets were hanging. "Since your eyes are that deep green color, you should be wearing more earthy colors."

I didn't even bother to argue, knowing she'd have it her way in the end anyhow. "As long it's easy to wear. I can't move around in those stupid skinny jeans."

She giggled from across the rack and took off two hangers from it. Coming back around to me, she added them to the pile in my arms. Her next stop was back at the shoe section where she wasted no time finding me a pair of black shoes.

"Now, go change!" She pushed me and everything I was carrying into a stall in the changing room away from Silver's and closed the door behind me.

Shaking my head, I quickly switched clothes and raised my eyebrows at my image in the mirror. Blue had picked out a dark gray, almost black, jacket with big pockets similar to the ones on the tan pants. I had on a white polo shirt beneath it, the collar sticking outside the jacket and visible right above the pants' belt. The shoes were the same color as the jacket, and I nodded in approval at myself. Everything fit perfectly, and she'd actually done a good job of choosing something that wouldn't make me look horrendous.

Changing clothes again, I opened the stall's door and walked out to where Blue, who had bought and changed into an identical outfit that wasn't dirty, was fawning over Silver who had finally come out in his new clothes.

They looked almost exactly the same as his other ones, but the designs on the jacket and pants were a little different and his boots had been switched out for a pair of black red-lined shoes. The outfit went with his new haircut more than the other had and did a better job of showing how defined his body had become. Apparently I wasn't the only one here who liked to train himself alongside his Pokemon.

"It's perfect!" Blue squealed happily, ruffling his fluffy red hair. "You look great! Go change back so we can get it!"

Silver, who looked like he actually enjoyed the outfit too, nodded and headed past me into the changing room again. Watching him go, she turned to me and tilted her head. "Did everything fit alright?"

"Actually, yeah," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "I-I like it."

She mock gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "Wait a minute. Did you just say that you _liked _one of my fashion choices?"

I glared at her. "Do you want me to wear it or not?"

She giggled to herself and picked up a bag that she'd placed at her feet. I saw the big white hat popping out of the top, figured who she had bought it for, and sighed.

"Crystal's not going to like it," I warned her with a point at the hat.

She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. "She _will_ like it, she _will_ wear it, and she _will_ look adorable in it!"

I handed her my clothes and held my hands up in surrender. "Good luck with that."

Silver reappeared at that moment and did the same with his new clothes. Raising an eyebrow, she laughed and handed them right back to us. "You guys are supposed to hold the bags, right?"

She started for the front of the store, and Silver and I rolled our eyes at her. Up at the cash register, we set the yet-to-be purchased items on the counter, and I reached into my pocket for the wallet that had the cash that I knew would be paying for all this. However, right as I was pulling it out, the lady behind the counter was already printing out the receipt and handing it to a smiling Blue. Beckoning at us to get the bags, she led Silver and me out of the store to the food court where she made us change into our new outfits. When we came out, she smiled widely at me and suggested that we get some lunch.

At the food court, Silver went to one of the stands to get us something to eat while Blue and I found somewhere to sit. After we sat down, I set my elbow on the table and my chin in my hand, watching her sideways curiously.

"What?" She said next to me, a mix of wariness with her usual cheer.

I shook my head. "Just wondering why you paid at the store. Normally I'm the one to do that."

She laughed at the annoyance in my voice and flicked her hand. "I felt like doing something nice today. Besides, think of it as an early birthday present."

My eyes stayed narrowed. "Still, how did you know what my size was? Literally, everything you picked out for me was to proportion."

She smiled faintly and saw that my silver-backed green and yellow pendent was too long for the new white shirt and jacket and hung hidden beneath them. Standing up from her seat, she walked behind me, and I froze as she took the ends at the back of my neck and tightened it so that the pendent was showing above the edge of the white polo.

"I know lots of things," she said simply, taking her seat again and grinning.

I fought against the blush rising in my cheeks and looked down. "Well, thanks," I muttered.

She giggled and winked at me. "Like I said, _happy birthday_."

* * *

Me: I do hope you'll forgive me my readers. I hadn't meant to update so late. Anyway...HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREEN! YOU'RE MY FAVORITE BISHONIAN EVER!

Gardevoir: Uh...ya...Happy Birthday...woo

Me: You know what, I don't even have time to bicker about your lack of enthusiasm. It's time for me to go fight the crowd for some Black Friday shopping!

Gardevoir: *sigh* Oh my...Review and return guys! Happy Thanksgiving!


	8. Chapter 8: A Library Visit

Me: Hehehehehe *clicking buttons on gameboy*

Gardevoir: Why do I get the feeling that you've become addicted to a new game?

Me: Because I have! Pokemon Conquest! Whoo!

Gardevoir: *sigh* I don't see what's so appealing about it. All you do is move little Pokemon around a battlefield. Not very exciting.

Me: *slams down system* It is _not_ just some strategy game. It is AMAZING!

Gardevoir: Uh-huh. If it's so _amazing_, why haven't you beaten it yet? It's been like three weeks now.

Me: *frowns* See, I just finally beat the last Kingdom where the bad guy Nobunga was so I thought, "Hey, I won!" But then this other tower opens up and of course I have to go inside! Well, inside there's Arceus and I easily bond with him. And _then_ I thought again, "Hey, I won!" But _oh no_! Nobunga just _has to_ get the last win so what should happen? He attacks with his best warriors, and every single one of them had all jacked up stats! ...So yeah. I'm gonna need some more time.

Gardevoir: *smiles* You know, I think I like this Nobunga fella. **Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way shape or form. Only the plot and her OC's.**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Blue

"Now you kids give me a call when you're all done," Kathy called from the driver's seat. "Just make sure it's before supper!"

"Will do!" Red promised, waving his hand as she drove off in her minivan. White and I did the same while Silver and Green followed Black who was already halfway up the large stone staircase leading to the town library's front doors. After taking the day yesterday to scope out the city and my shopping spree the day before that, we all thought it would be a good idea to get out today and relax a little. By some silent reason, we'd all chosen the library as our destination, and my guess would be because we all had some research we wanted to do.

Letting my hand fall to my side, I turned to Red and smirked. "I'm surprised you came with us."

The black-haired boy frowned and looked up at the beautiful work of masonry behind us. "Hopefully we won't be here long. I don't like leaving Yellow alone nowadays."

I smiled. "I know. Oh, yeah," I remembered with a tilt of my head. "What exactly was it that you said you were looking up?"

He shook his head and started after White who'd already begun to trail after the others. "Stuff."

I scrunched my eyebrows curiously but shrugged as I climbed the steps behind him. Inside the massive glass doors, the first floor opened up with a long line of bookshelves lining either wall. Several individual ones created hallways in between and multiple tables were placed around. At the far end of the room was a counter and a librarian typing away at a computer, and here at the front was a grand staircase on both sides that led up to the second floor where there were computers available to use.

"It's an old library, isn't it?" White commented, taking note of the golden leaf designs weaving along the edge of the ceiling and shining double marble staircase.

"Oldest in all Kanto," Green answered. "But it's also one of the most updated."

"Great! I'm off!" Black told us happily before disappearing into the maze of towering bookshelves ahead.

White stared after him and sighed with shake of her head. "He, uh, really likes libraries."

I giggled and watched as she trailed along after the excited boy. "I can see that."

"Well, we're going upstairs to the computers," Red said with a gesture at Green. "There's something we want to look up."

I waved after them as they ascended the large staircase. "Have fun!"

The librarian all the way across the room glared at me, and I grinned sheepishly.

"There's also something that I want to look into," Silver told me, turning to the bookcases where Black and White had disappeared to. "Will you be alright?"

I huffed and smacked his shoulder. "You doubt me!"

He smiled and stalked off into the jungle of hardcovers and paperbacks. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, I snuck in after him and weaved my way unnoticed through the silent halls. Might as well have some fun and see what everyone else was up to before conducting a little search of my own.

The first I found was White. She was curiously scanning one of the shelves and picking out multiple different books before shaking her head and putting them back. Carefully looking around the corner, I saw her perk up and reach for a blue hardback on the top. The brunette stretched up high on her tiptoes until brushing her fingers against its cover and bringing it down. The title read Battling Basics, and I smiled to myself at her efforts to better herself.

Leaving the girl to study, I slowly backed away, almost running into Black who was too engrossed in a book of his own to realize that I was two inches from colliding with him. Cautiously stepping back, I breathed a sigh of relief when I was able get to the other side of the bookcase without attracting his attention. Looking to his feet, I raised my eyebrows in surprise when I saw the pile of books he'd pulled out, each one having something to do with Eevee and its evolutions.

I watched his eyes furiously take in the text of the book and, having seen what he was doing, decided to head off for my next subject of interest currently on this floor. Said person's familiar red hair soon entered my vision, and I kept myself hidden as I peered from behind a shelf full of fairy tales at his still form sitting at a table, a single book in his hands. The new pair of gloves that I'd gotten him yesterday quietly turned the page, and I tilted my head when I saw a strange yellow stone sitting by his hand. I was guessing that it was a new type of evolutionary item, and I found it strange that I had no idea what it was.

I let out a silent yelp of surprise as I started falling forward. Quickly catching myself, I cringed and fled behind the bookshelf as I banged my elbow on it. I'd been trying to lean closer and get a better look at the stone that I hadn't noticed my unbalance until it came into effect and made Silver look up sharply. I held my breath as his narrowed eyes passed over my form through the small gaps above the books and briefly wondered why I was hiding.

Softly chuckling to myself, I stealthily crept out of the bookcases and back out to the front doors, making my way for the grand sweeping staircase. I followed it to the top where I immediately found Green and Red sitting side by side at two computers, pointing at the monitors as they clicked away at the keyboard. I wanted to go up to them and see what exactly it was, but knowing those two, as soon as I got close enough for them to sense me, they'd close the tabs and pretend like they hadn't been looking at anything.

Scoffing in frustration when I saw that I was too far away to see the screen, I reached into my bag to grab the Silph Scope I knew would be there. Placing on the mechanism, I hit the zoom in button and narrowed my eyes as my vision became clear and I could finally read the words. It was hard to read anything with both of them continuously darting in and out of my view, but I was able to make out a few words on both screens. And among them were two in particular that made my skin prickle.

Heart failure.

Frowning, I took off my Silph Scope, placed it back in my bag, and nonchalantly walked up behind them. "Whatcha looking at?"

They jumped in their seats and hit the minimize button as fast as they could. Red looked at me nervously, and Green kept on a carefully blank face while I crossed my arms.

"Come on," I said firmly. "What is it?"

"N-nothing," Red tried smiling.

I glared at him, and he flinched in fear.

"L-let's just show her," he suggested to Green who had narrowed his eyes in annoyance at me.

"We might as well just tell her," the forest-eyed boy said with a sigh, crossing his black-jacketed arms in a pose similar to mine.

"Tell me what?" I demanded, pulling up a computer chair from nearby and sitting down.

Red rubbed the back of his neck, and Green waited for him to start explaining. When the stuttering boy couldn't find the right words, Green sighed again and did it for him. "Yellow's in a strange unconscious state."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "_No_, really?"

"And her heart rate is currently slowing down."

I paused, my jaw dropping open. "T-that can't be right! She's perfectly fine!"

"We know," Red finally said. "She breathes regularly, shifts around as if she was only sleeping…it's just like normal."

"But it doesn't make sense!" I exclaimed. "That doesn't fit at all with what you just said!"

"Exactly," Green said with a point of his finger. "That's what makes it all the more strange. Now, it hasn't slowed down to the point of near death, so that's something to be grateful for. It's just declined enough that we can notice it if we took her pulse."

I stared at the floor a moment, shaking my head. "What the heck is going on?"

The two frowned and glanced back at the computers. "That's what we were checking up on."

I looked up as Red proved his point more by bringing the web page back up. "We were trying to see if we could find out if there was some sort of disease or malady that fit this description, but so far, we haven't had any luck."

I gave the screen a glance before standing up and putting the chair back. "Well, keep looking. I'll help out and go see what they have downstairs."

They nodded and instantly got back to their keyboards, typing away as I walked back to the staircase. I was about to take the first step down when I heard Red's voice behind me.

"Wait! Are you sure you want to spend your time doing this? Wasn't there something else you wanted to do here today?"

I froze at the question but quickly shook off the ice. "Nah, it's okay."

I set off again without waiting for his reaction, my face setting a little as I made my way down the flight of stairs. It's not like we weren't ever going to have access to the internet again. I could look up my special fighting style and kidnappings of the area twelve years ago at another time.

…Yeah, I get it. It's a long shot, I know. But it was the only idea I had at the moment. To my memory, the Masked Man was the only one at the time who had been teaching the Swordsman's Dance. So it ogled my brain to the maximum why Melany would know it so well.

I took the last step off the stairs and started heading for the bookcases again. A small screeching sound grabbed my attention, and I turned around to see the guys' bathroom door closing behind a pair of dark gray jeans that I had come to recognize from even this far away.

My eyes widened to the size of saucers before narrowing to slits. Thinking fast, I ran outside and frantically grabbed a small round stone. Dashing back in, I positioned myself just on the other side of the bathroom door, the tall staircase five feet ahead of me. I waited tensely, and when it finally opened again, I silently threw the rock onto the steps and froze, hoping the person who had just walked out didn't notice me.

Thankfully, the rock had been successful in being a distraction, and as they went up a few steps of the stairs to investigate, I snuck up behind the person and calmly placed a hand over their mouth.

"Don't move."

My voice was menacing, and I could feel the black-spiked boy in my clutches turn to stone.

"You can't get past me, and as you can see, Red and Green are right up there above us." I pointed at the two boys who were still deep into their research. "So just come with me."

The figure didn't move, and I softened my voice. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I just want to talk." I leaned forward over his shoulder so that I could look right into his golden-orange eyes. "Don't you think you owe me that much?"

He didn't say anything, but I could feel him loosen up and let me lead him out of the library and down onto the sidewalk at the bottom of the building's front stairs. Placing him so that his only other option was to run back inside, I slowly let him go and faced him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"So nice to see you again."

He kept his eyes trained on the ground.

"Amber."

He still didn't say anything, and I looked up at the sky.

"So…what are you doing here? For a spy, you're not doing a very good job of staying undercover."

He smiled barely, and I grew angry at myself when I found that seeing him lighten up a little made me feel better. I was supposed to be hostile towards him now. Not act like he was another one of my friends.

"Well?"

Finally bringing his eyes to mine, he closed them in a sigh and sat down on the steps, leaning his shoulder on the stone pillar beside him. "To be honest, I didn't even know you guys were at the library today. It's Melany's job to keep track of your whereabouts. But I guess you've probably already figured that out by now."

Wary about how open he had suddenly become, I plopped down on the opposite end of the step, my back against the other pillar. "So what exactly is it that you do then?"

He narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, but I only shrugged. "Hey, you can't blame me for asking."

"Blue, I didn't come here to have a conversation that could become a big problem for me," he said a little coldly.

"Then what did you come here for?" I asked with more chill than his voice had contained.

He glanced away. "Stuff."

Mentally scoffing at the fact that Red had said the same thing in the same spot not ten minutes ago, I crossed my arms and stared off like he was doing, glaring at him from the corner of my eye. "So…mind telling me why exactly you're pretending to be a villain when you're actually good? _Or vice versa_?"

Amber's head snapped up at the suspicion in my voice, and he literally jumped to his feet. "I'm not pretending to be anything! You have no idea what I'm doing! None at all!"

"Then why don't you tell me?" I asked curiously before softening my voice and standing up with him. "Amber, you're not bad. You're a good person."

He gave a silent chuckle. "You know, that's exactly what she said."

I tilted my head. "Who?"

His breath caught. "Yellow."

Neither of us said anything, and he took that minute of silence to briefly go off topic. "H-how is she?"

I almost hissed. "Shouldn't you already know? You're the one that did it to her."

He flinched noticeably, and I guiltily cleared my throat. "S-she's doing…okay, I guess."

"Okay?"

I gave a light huff and put it bluntly. "She won't wake up."

His eyes widened a little. "W-what?"

My fingers unconsciously curled. "That green stuff. Whatever it was, it's not letting her wake up."

He stared at the stone step in disbelief, murmuring to himself. "But it was only supposed to knock her out for a little while."

I was about ready to explode from paranoid. "You mean you didn't know that was going to happen?!"

He closed his eyes tightly. "N-no. I didn't know. Melany gave it to me and told me to use it. I had no idea."

I rolled my eyes angrily. "Well, that explains it."

The boy face-palmed harshly. "I'm such an idiot."

The use of Red's famous phrase made me smile a little, and I marveled at how similar the two could be. Glimpsing the worry on his face, I calmly sighed. "See? You obviously care for her. A lot. So _why _are you doing all this?"

He shook his head and scratched the back of his neck. "You wouldn't understand. It's a long story."

Narrowing my eyes, I quickly brought out Nido and blocked off his final chance of escape down the sidewalk. "It's only noon, and I believe I can make this an exception to skip lunch."

He let out an angry sigh. "No, you don't get it. I _can't_ talk about it. There's more to it than you think, and if I tell you too much, it could ruin everything and—"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" I stopped him with a hand held up high. "What do you mean, 'ruin everything'?"

He grabbed the top of his forehead and sat down. "Blue, I really can't talk about it, but I can say this. I'm not doing all of—" He gestured at him and me and the library. "_this_ because I want to hurt Yellow. Or any of you. In fact, I know I haven't known you all long, but I do care about you guys." He hesitated a moment. "A-and her."

I gave him a helpless look, but he turned away. "How do you expect any of us to believe you?"

He shook his head and fiddled with his TR pendent, positioned just above his gold and silver yin yang. "I don't."

Something was telling me that there was some truth in his words, and seeing the real him again, I could feel myself starting to loosen up around him. However, my stubborn side wouldn't even imagine such a thing, and his honest yet dodging words only infuriated it more.

"Fine," I said tartly, an idea coming to mind. "Then we'll battle."

His ears perked up, and I counted off two fingers.

"We'll have a two on two. You win, I won't make you tell me. I win, then you have to. Sound alright?"

He frowned uncertainly and glanced up at Nido who was looming over his shoulder. "I don't exactly have a choice. Do I?"

I faked a sweet smile and hooked his arm in mine. "No, not really."

Nido followed behind me and Amber as I walked us to the outskirts of town near the edge of the forest. Keeping my arm tightly locked with his, I was careful to make sure that he wouldn't run away. To my surprise though, he actually didn't try, but he was stiff and tense the whole time until we reached the spot where there was no one in sight, and I released my hold on him.

Bringing out Jiggly, I had her sit up on one of the tree branches around us to keep an eye on Amber. He saw the action and tilted his head.

"It knows Sing, doesn't it?" When I nodded, he sighed and held his hands up. "Okay, okay. I was going to do it peacefully anyway, you know."

I gave another nod and shrugged. "Yeah, I do. But I also know that we're not exactly on friendly terms at the moment."

He leaned his head back and sighed again. "Fair enough."

Our battlefield was a small meadow just inside the tree line, surrounding us on two sides with a light layer of trees and another with thicker foliage that only got denser the farther in you went. Jiggly was currently floating around the only tread able trail into the woods, and when I placed Nido at the only other exit where we'd come in that was maybe ten feet across, I had successfully created a natural prison whose only escape was through the thin canopy above our heads and into the sky. But I didn't have to worry; Jiggly could fly and sing at the same time.

I turned to find Amber already standing on the other side of the field and reached into my bag as he went for his belt.

"Ready?" I asked him.

He nodded and threw a Pokeball. "Let's go!"

I quickly tossed one of mine, and a pair of flashes burst in mid-air before fading to reveal Blasty and a foreign Pokemon that I had never seen before. Curious, I pulled out my Pokedex and hit the reader.

"**Simipour, the Geyser Pokémon. Simipour can demolish a concrete wall with the pressurized water it shoots from its tail."**

"From Unova, huh?" I whistled, seeing the Pokemon's native habitat. "You sure have been travelling far."

"It's a great region," he said with a smile. "You should go sometime."

I frowned a little and put the small red machine away. "I would—except my calendar's currently booked." I flicked my hand at Blasty. "Water Gun!"

His jaw snapped open and a powerful blast of water instantly shot out. Amber didn't move and neither did his Simipour. Even as it closed in on them, he didn't once tell the Pokemon to jump out of the way or dodge. When the last second of opportunity was up and the attack hit home, I shook my head and smirked to myself. If he wanted to be stupid and just stand there, that was fine by me. It sure made my job easier.

Blasty's move soon depleted, and I craned my neck to see how far back the opponent had been thrown. My eyes widened when I saw that nothing of the case had happened. The Simipour stood firmly in place, a pool of water all around him.

Now, it's basic knowledge that Water moves don't really harm their own types that much, but I had expected Blasty's attack to do at least some damage!

My eyes focused again, and I watched in surprise as the water dripping off Simipour slowly began to dissolve into his hair—even a good portion of the puddle at his feet when he bent over and let his locks hit the ground. As the last of it was completely soaked up, I glanced up in surprise to see Amber smirking.

"Hey, thanks for that charge-up," he said smartly. "We were running low on water."

I scrunched my eyebrows as Blasty started to advance for another attack. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, Simipour started trembling with an unseen force, and my eyes widened at Amber's next words. "Simipour are especially known for their ability to store large amounts of water in their spacious hair. Plus, as your Pokedex said, they're able to shoot powerful Water attacks from their tails. So, when that storage meets its maximum capacity…"

The cream and blue Pokemon jumped in the air and shot forward like a bullet, a strong jet of pressurized water escaping his tail to propel himself on.

Amber grinned. "It can do some pretty awesome things. Surf!"

I gasped in shock as the small Simipour slammed into Blasty with enough force to knock him straight on his back. Normally, a move like Surf is used on the ocean where it's easier to call upon a wave of water. It's still possible on land, but the result isn't as strong because the wave is summoned from the water inside the Pokemon using it. However, Amber's creative use of the excess water made it easy for him to take that ocean power and make the strength of the move portable.

My head was still spinning as Amber took the next turn, also. "Pour, Scald!"

The Pokemon obeyed, and Blasty was soon being drenched in a superhot douse that I could tell hurt by the way the steam rose off it like crazy. When the wind finally carried the light haze away, I saw my Water type struggling to get up, a harsh burn covering most of his unprotected skin.

"Guess it's time to take a non-aqua approach," I decided grimly. "Use Mega Punch!"

Blasty was still crouched halfway over so it made the move even more powerful thanks to the fact that he could bring his arm up right under Simipour's small body and gain momentum along the way. The water monkey went flying into the air, and Amber watched him helplessly before an idea brightened his eyes.

"Quick! Acrobatics!"

Simipour shook his head from Blasty's damaging attack and quickly positioned himself as he started falling back towards the ground. Astoundingly, I saw as he aimed straight for the large turtle Pokemon, and right as he landed on his shell, he threw out a flurry of loud-sounding punches and kicks before using his own momentum to bounce back off into the air for another round. Blasty went through another set of aerial assaults before his foe shot back into the sky again and I thought of something.

"Blasty, use Water Gun to shoot Simipour out of the air!"

The cannons on my Pokemon's back cocked and took aim, proceeding to blast multiple shots of water at the air-born opponent. Simipour was surprisingly nimble in the sky and dodged most of the water bombs being fired at him. Finally though, one of them made contact, and I gave a triumphant grin as he paused from the damage and fell to the ground.

I don't know how it happened, but Amber managed to have another trick up his sleeve and called out to Simipour right before he crashed. "Dig, now!"

With an obvious effort, Simipour momentarily blinked away his wounds and flipped onto his belly-side, hands and feet at the ready to go when the ground came close enough. When it did, there was a brief moment of dust before the air cleared, and the only thing left in his place was a hole.

Blasty and I twisted our head around in unison, trying to find a hint as to where he would jump out. Forcing myself to think of a plan instead of being ready for the unexpected, I saw the cannons on his back, and an idea quickly formed.

"Blasty!" I called out hurriedly, hoping I could make it before Simipour reappeared. "Aim your cannons at the ground!"

He nodded, and they had just clicked in place when Simipour burst from below right in front of him and rammed into his tender, unshielded underside. I winced at how hard my Pokemon took the hit but used that to fuel my voice.

"Now! Hydro Cannon!"

At first, I thought he was so close to fainting that he wouldn't be able to do it, but thank Arceus his guns were already prepared. Right as he reached the peak of his flight, a jet the size of a three foot long door exploded from both his cannons, the two beams of water crashing into Simipour with a BOOM! and smacking him flat on his back. A few seconds later, Blasty dropped out of the sky and did the same.

The dust from his collision disturbed mine and Amber's fretful vision for a few seconds before clearing away to reveal that both of them had fainted.

Giving a contented sigh, I returned Blasty to his Pokeball and smiled at him widely. "You did great! Now get some rest."

He was happy to oblige and was already going to sleep when I took out another Pokeball. Across the field, Amber had done likewise and was waiting with one of his one.

"You're pretty good," I commented, allowing him a little praise for taking out the powerhouse of my team.

He smiled a little. "You're not so bad yourself. I guess this is the deciding round, isn't it?"

I nodded fiercely. "You bet!" My fingers left the surface of the Pokeball as it flew into the air. "Time to finish this!"

It didn't take him long to do the same, and in no time, we were opposing each other with a whole new pair of Pokemon. Mentally, I gave myself a pat on the back when I saw his choice and then mine. He'd gone with his Froslass, who was a dueling Ice and Ghost type. Lucky for me, Ghost type moves were effective against their own type, and who else better for this job than Ditty?!

The little purple Pokemon sat staring up at the floating white one, and I didn't even have to tell it to Transform. Soon enough, there were two Froslasses, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to tell who was who in the coming match.

"Alright, Snowy, Ice Shard!" Amber commanded with a throw of his hand.

Ditty barely had time to get out of the way before a sharp crystalline missile went flying by its now white head. Getting out my Pokedex, I did a fast checkup on its new moves and snapped the red screen shut in satisfaction. "Confuse Ray!"

Nimbly getting behind Snowy's back, Ditty created a ball of flashing light that collided with its opponent and made her eyes become cute little swirls.

Amber smirked, and I anxiously bit my lip in response. "Clever, aren't you? Ice Shard again! Double Time!"

I was waiting to see if his Pokemon would be able to listen or not so I didn't see him quickly lowering himself onto the ground on his stomach. As if his touch down was the cue, Snowy began firing blades of ice from her fingertips, the directions completely random but the quantity ranging from ten to thirty in a matter of seconds. I gave a sharp laugh as they stuck themselves deep in the tree trunks all around us before yelping and ducking as few came my way. Getting up, I saw Ditty get hit with a few and frowned.

_Okay, time to take advantage of this confusion while I can. _"Ditty, Shadow Ball!"

Amber and I watched as a menacing black and purple sphere came to life in Ditty's hands and was thrown harshly at his Froslass who was still hovering around in circles from confusion. The move hit her right in the stomach, sending her flying into a tree. While she crumpled to the ground, I had Ditty prepare another Shadow Ball. When it was ready, it went in for a closer, more powerful shot. Just as it was a foot away and about to release it though, Snowy's head popped up, and my eyes widened when I saw that the confusion was gone.

"Blizzard!"

Amber's voice rang through the clearing, and an ominous freezing wind enveloped his Pokemon. Ditty dispelled its move and tried to get out of there as fast as it could, but the transformer was too close and it was too late. The crushing move was unleashed, and it got thrown halfway across the battlefield, slamming into the grassy forest floor and slowly raising itself onto its elbows.

Snowy was quick and released a shower of Ice Shards on Ditty while it fought to stand up. Parrying off a few of the pesky missiles, it had enough time to charge up and shoot another Shadow Ball at its opponent that sent her crashing to the ground. In turn, Snowy also had a little trouble getting back up, but finally the two were floating opposite of each other again, both breathing hard and staring with narrowed eyes.

I took the moment to look at Amber across the field and clenched my teeth when I saw him smile a little.

"Do you really think you know my own Pokemon better than myself?" He asked curiously. Shaking his head, he raised a hand to Snowy and said, "Blizzard. On the water."

My mouth opened to give Ditty a command, but I could only stand there with gaping jaw as the cold wind swept over the entire arena. There were various puddles of water of all sizes still left over from Blasty and Pour's battle so I could tell immediately what Amber was up to when the freezing breeze touched the waters' surface.

The water and droplets that had accumulated in the air all around the field froze instantaneously. And I think we all know what happens when evaporated water freezes this close to the ground.

Yeah, it's called fog.

We must have used a lot of water during our last fight for the low-lying clouds proceeded to cover the entire battlefield and flood out through the trees around us. Unfortunately, it was a fairly thick fog, and I could just barely make out Ditty floating around in a confused wander.

"Hold on,!" I told him encouragingly as my mind fumbled for something to clear this away.

"I don't think so," came Amber's voice from far on the other side. "Shadow Ball!"

Snowy appeared like an apparition out of nowhere from the depths of the fog, a foreboding dark ball of energy between her fingers. Raising it high over her head, she slammed it down on Ditty with enough force to knock it all the way back to where I was standing. Quickly picking it up, I smiled sadly when I saw that the Pokemon could no longer battle.

"Game over."

Grimly returning it to its Pokeball for a nice rest, I got to my feet and saw a red beam flood over Snowy and take her back to her own Pokeball. The fog was beginning to clear but still pretty thick, and, not wanting to risk getting lost or losing Amber, I stayed right where I was.

"I win."

I could hear his voice catch a little at the end of his words but shook the thought away and crossed my arms. "Alright, you won fair and square. You don't have to tell me."

Not catching any footsteps, I narrowed my eyes and slowly took one forward in the direction I thought he was in. When a shifting sound came from ahead, I froze.

"Well, I know this wasn't exactly the happiest of meetings, but I've stayed too long, and I need to get going," Amber told me from somewhere.

I shook my head even though I knew he couldn't see me. "Oh no. That wasn't the deal."

I could literally hear his feet scuff the ground as he stopped. "What?"

"I said you didn't have to tell me." My lips curled up slyly. "But you _are_ coming with me. I think the others will want to see you, too. Nido, Sunny Day! Jiggly, Sing!"

I quickly cupped my hands over my ears to avoid being put to sleep and closed my eyes to escape the harsh light that would ward off this haze. A few minutes later, I uncovered them and opened my eyes to find that the fog was still there and no lingering notes filled the air.

"W-what?!" I said in a shocked craze to no one in particular.

A sudden gust of wind buffeted me, and I threw an arm up to ward it off. When I looked back up, the fog had finally lifted, and Amber was atop his Salamence, his wings softly beating the low clouds away.

"B-but how?!"

My head whipping around the clearing, I put a hand to my mouth when I saw Jiggly and Nido completely knocked out and leaning against one of the trees. Rushing over to them, I patted their heads and apologized before returning them to their Pokeballs. Slowly getting back on my feet, I looked up at Amber and frowned.

"I used the fog to take them out with Hound and Ki while Snowy finished the battle with you," he explained simply, rubbing the back of his neck.

I threw my hands up and huffed. "So that's it? You're just going to leave without telling me anything?!"

"I won," he reminded me. "Besides, I've got somewhere I have to be. I'm sorry I can't tell you, Blue. I wish I could."

"You know what? No!" I shouted with a shake of my head. "Since you won't tell me, I'm going to do it myself. I'm going to find out what it is, Amber. Why you're doing this! And then we'll see if you really are telling the truth about what you said!"

His lips fell into a frown before lifting slightly into a sad smile. "Well then, I wish you the best of luck."

He gave that two-fingered salute he always did in place of waving, and his Salamence beat his wings harder, taking them higher into the sky before flying off to the west where the tree tops cut off my view of them.

Growling angrily, I turned around and started heading back into town. Amber said he cared about us. He said he wasn't meaning to hurt us. I gave a heated sigh and face-palmed. As much as I wanted to believe it, based on the obvious evidence right now, I just couldn't. And frankly, I didn't quite want to. I mean, why would I believe the person who almost kidnapped my Yellow?!

Shaking my head a little, I exited the tree line and got onto the sidewalk that headed back towards the library. Either way, I now had another new homework assignment.

Subject: History

Objective: Find out the secret behind Amber's past.

* * *

Me: *Defeat music plays and gameboy slams down again* Why can't I just defeat you Nobunga?! Why?!

Gardevoir: Hey! It's the end of the chapter! Come help me sign off!

Me: *grumble grumble* Fine. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this update. It was fun to write the battle part!

Gardevoir: There. Now you can go back to your gaming.

Me: YAY! *goes back to game but looks up and grins* Oh, and by the way, POKE-SPE FAN, I think I fixed our little "it" problem ;D P.S. I think you miss-spelled Gardevoir. Garvidor! XD I'm still laughing about how much that sounds like Garbodor! Hahahahaha!

Gardevoir: Wait, what?!

Me: Haha! Review and return!


	9. Chapter 9: The Many Shocks of the Day

Me: Okay, I have a question.

Gardevoir: Alright. Shoot.

Me: Is it possible for a table to quack?

Gardevoir: *blinks* D-did you say quack?

Me: Yeah, like, what if a duck gets stuck inside a table. Then the table can quack!

Gardevoir: *facepalm* No, the table doesn't say quack; the duck in it does...if it's even possible for a duck to get stuck inside a table.

Me: No! The duck is like in the table so its now a part of the table so when it goes quack, the table goes quack!

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop* I _really_ don't think that's how it goes.

Me: *crosses arms* Yes it is! Duck gets stuck in table! Table goes quack!

Gardevoir: Wait a minute. *narrows eyes* Are you trying to use troll logic on me?

Me: Hehe! _No..._I'm just trying to make a point! **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any possible way. Although I would like a table that quacks! Hehe!**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Green

I leaned over the edge of the railing beside me, watching the crowds below with narrowed eyes as the other five filed out of the elevator onto the roof of the mall behind me.

Crystal had called my Pokegear after Kathy picked us up from the library yesterday, saying that she had some news on the green powder I'd sent a few days ago. Seeing as how Kathy didn't have a videophone, we'd decided to risk it and go to the Pokemon Center.

The six of us gathered around at the back edge of the open floor, the wind ruffling our hair as we made sure no one else was up here on the roof. After a moment, Red turned to Silver who was standing beside him and took a Pokeball from his belt. The redhead nodded. Bringing out one of his own, the two proceeded with the plan we'd made last night that would help us move through town undetected.

Poli and Weavile emerged with a flash of bright light and stood in front of their trainers ready to go.

"Poli, you know what to do," Red told him with a smile.

The Water type gave him a thumbs-up and raised his hands. A light film of water slowly appeared on his skin, and the back of my neck started to prickle as the humidity quickly increased. Thanks to Poli's Damp ability, the moisture in the air had become so thick that it was almost palpable.

Rubbing the dank space between his fingers, Silver gave a quick nod at Weavile, and the Pokemon let loose a soft Icy Wind that swept all around us, freezing the drops of water in mid-air and forming a fairly large cloud. Shivering slightly, everyone took out their Flying types as fast as they could while Red put away Poli and brought out Vee.

Weavile continued to keep the cloud from breaking down as we all climbed onto our aerial transportation, Vee jumping up on Aero's back with Red. Once everyone was in position, Weavile leapt on top of Honchcrow who was grabbing onto Silver's wrist, and we all instantly lifted off. As the roof of the mall began growing smaller, Vee's eyes started glowing with his Psychic move, and a very faint blue light washed over the cloud. Using his powers, Vee manipulated the condensed water so that it shrouded around our little airborne parade and completely blocked any view from us in any direction. And so, with Weavile continuously blowing a feeble Icy Wind to keep the cloud going and Vee flicking his psychic-powered tail to control it, we were able to fly around town without anybody knowing.

We had to travel slowly though so as not to attract too much attention, and I could tell that the faster flyers were having a more frustrated time trying to make their flying speed match the lagging crawl of the cloud. Me being one of them, I bared my teeth in annoyance at our slow advance and angrily looked down below through the puffy white barrier a while later to see that we were only halfway there when we could've already been walking through the doors if it was a normal day.

My thoughts wandered back to last night when the idea had been proposed by Blue, and I let go of the frown on my face for a moment as I reran it through my head. It was like she'd already thought ahead and had the plan ready. Or maybe it was a technique she'd come across recently. I shook my head and huffed. I had no clue. I could never tell with her.

Perched atop Jiggly on my left, said girl of my thoughts saw the scowl on my face and put her hand to her mouth with a merry laugh. "Can't take the relaxing ride, eh?"

I turned to her and frowned. "I don't do well with tedious things."

She giggled again and smirked. "See? This is when Jiggly really comes in handy."

I observed how natural it was for the Wigglytuff to just bob along through the air and how used to the leisurely pace Blue was. My eyes going back to hers, I scoffed and shook my head. "You fly like that way too often."

"Hey, now. I can travel fast, too," she reminded me with a point of her finger. "Blasty's really good at using his cannons for that."

I rolled my eyes, and she laughed lightly at me. "Oh, loosen up! We'll be there before you know it!"

Raising an eyebrow, I glanced down again and saw that we'd only moved another fifteen feet. "Yeah, I highly doubt that."

She pursed her lips before smiling again and asking me how the research went yesterday. We were a little separated from the others, and the wind helped cover our voices so I wasn't worried about them overhearing us and getting worried.

Unfortunately, Red and I hadn't found any ailments that seemed to match what was wrong with Yellow, and even after spending the entire afternoon on the computers, the only thing we went back to the mall knowing was that whatever it was Yellow had, it was either very uncommon or completely unknown to the internet world.

The ground gradually passed by unnoticed below us, and as Blue gave a final nod to this new information, my eyes widened in surprise when I saw that the Pokemon Center was just another block down the street.

Gently, we began to descend towards the vacant lot behind the big red building, only going a few miles an hour though to keep from becoming seen. When we finally touched down on the green summer's grass, Weavile ceased his shivering move, and the glow fell away from Vee's purple eyes. Without any cold air to freeze the evaporated water around us, the cloud dissipated in less than a minute, giving us enough to return our Pokemon and make sure that no one had followed us.

We filed down a side alley between the Center and its neighboring building, creeping quietly through the shadows until the main street sidewalk came up ahead. Blue peeped her head around the corner slowly, hair sweeping as she looked side to side. When she told us that it was clear, we merged into the crowd for a moment before jumping right back out and shooting for the big sliding doors.

"Well that was—" White huffed. "A little intense."

Red shrugged apologetically and led the others after me to the video phones. "Better safe than sorry."

They all crowded around as I sat down, and I turned to them with a tilted head. "Somebody might want to keep watch in case they actually did see us come in here."

Black instantly put his hand up and inconspicuously started for the front doors after I nodded. In the same moment, White's C-Gear started ringing, making us all jump as she hit the XTransceiver app in surprise.

"Director?!" She yelled out, attracting Black's attention from across the huge room.

She pressed the mute button and meekly held up her hands. "Sorry guys, but it's one of the workers from my business in Unova. I really have to take this."

"Just don't leave the Pokemon Center!" Blue called after her as she nodded and ran over to the lounge area where it was quieter.

"Alright," I said slowly, typing in Professor Elm's videophone number. "Here we go."

I could hear all four of us holding our breath as the screen went fuzzy searching for an answer from Crystal. The few minutes of silent waiting seemed to last forever, but finally there was a beep, and the tense atmosphere was turned down a notch as an image came to life on the monitor. I could sense one big sweatdrop among us at the person who answered.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Gold asked cheerfully from the other end of the line. He saw Silver trying to go unnoticed behind Blue, and his eyes widened along with his grin. "Silver! I've been trying to get a hold of you! Where've you been?"

The redhead huffed and rolled his eyes. "Where do you think?"

Gold slowly lost his smile and nodded. "Oh, right. How's she doing?"

"Not much has changed," I informed him, carefully leaving out the heart rate for later.

Gold frowned and looked away. "I don't think Crys is gonna like that."

Blue tilted her head. "How come?"

I heard a door open from behind the breeder, and a few seconds later, Emerald and Crystal joined him on the screen.

"Hi!" Emerald said excitedly, his long sleeves swishing as he waved.

"Sorry you had to answer to Gold," Crystal sighed. "Rald missed Ruby's birthday yesterday so he made me go find him another video phone."

"Hey! What's that supposed to—" Gold protested with a foot stomp before Emerald cut him off.

"Well, we were too busy yesterday, and you told me this one was reserved today," the blonde boy pointed out as Gold crossed him arms and simmered down.

Crystal sighed again and nodded. "I know, I know." Turning to face us, she made room in front of the monitor so the other two could also be included. "Any news?"

I shook my head. "We were hoping you had some. Isn't that why you wanted to talk?"

She didn't say anything, and Silver leaned in closer to watch as she went off screen for a moment. Even Gold and Emerald had caught the solemn bug, and my eyes widened. The blunette soon came back, and all our gazes were locked on the folder in her hands.

The girl took out one of the papers inside and bit her lip. "I would've gotten back to you sooner, but Emerald was right about being busy."

"That's okay," I told her, feeling the apprehension in the room rise.

"Well, I hope I haven't caused you too much trouble." I shook my head, and she looked away. "I know last time you told me that there were people coming after you and things were all serious, and I felt bad about making you guys wait this long, but it still took some time too—"

"Crys."

She froze at Gold's low voice.

"Just tell them."

Those three words had the four of us set in stone in an instant, his tone more paralyzing than when we had actually been turned into statues.

Crystal looked at him doubtfully before nodding in resolution. Emerald tried to give her an encouraging smile, and I could tell right away that something wasn't right.

"Alright. So let's just get to the point." She set her face and pulled out a little pouch from the folder containing the shimmering opaque green powder. "Yellow is currently incapable of reawakening. And we have a good feeling that this really is the cause of it."

I saw Red's eyes widen a little and mentally agreed. It was one thing for it to be a suspicion—it was another entirely as a guarantee.

"A-are you sure?" The black-haired boy asked anxiously.

Gold nodded before the girl beside him could respond. "Trust me. She's sure."

"Yeah," Emerald put in. "Crystal-chan and I ran a lot of tests."

I titled my head. "What kind of tests?"

Crystal ruffled through the folder again, pulling out a thick packet. "Mostly basic ideas. Composition, symptoms…"

My eyes narrowed as she trailed off, staring blankly at the results. "What?"

She shook her head and tried to smile. "It's nothing. I'm just surprised by what we came up with is all."

It was like we'd been encased in a bubble of silence as I sat my chin on a hand. "What do you mean?"

She called off the attempt at cheerfulness and flipped the front page of the packet to the next one. "Well, the results showed that it was made of Sleep Powder like you'd suggested."

Silver cocked an eyebrow. "What's so surprising about that?"

Gold's eyes narrowed at him. "There was something strange about it."

The redhead blinked after a second, and Emerald nodded. "It doesn't just look funny—it _is_ funny."

Crystal set down the rest of the folder, eyes scanning the packet lightly even though I had a feeling she already knew what was there. "It has the same knock out property as normal Sleep Powder, but when I gave it a closer look, I noticed something."

She replaced the packet for a single sheet from the folio, and as she placed it to the screen, we could see that it was an up-close image of one of the grains of clear green powder.

The four of us leaned forward to get a better look, and my eyebrow rose curiously when I saw that it was encased in a strange crystalline layer that gave it the clear-like appearance.

"What is it?" Red asked after a minute of studying it. "That stuff all around it."

"Oddly enough, it's also Sleep Powder," Crystal told him. "Just in a more hardened form. It's created a sort of barrier."

She put a finger to the picture to show the line where the solid shell of the grain met with the normal powder it had inside. On the inside it was still soft and bright green but surrounding it was the ice-hard cocoon of a lighter shade.

"That explains why it didn't look right," Blue said with scrunched eyebrows.

"But how could it have possibly hardened like that?" Silver pondered aloud.

"I wondered the same thing," Crystal admitted, pulling the paper away from the monitor. "At first I thought perhaps melting and hardening or freezing. But neither of those would work. If someone had tried to melt it, the whole thing would disintegrate, and should they have attempted to freeze it, the whole grain would have been made solid. Not just the outside."

"Could they have used some sort of hardening sap?" Blue suggested.

Crystal shook her head. "No. It's only made of Sleep Powder. That idea did come across at one point, but when I ruled it out, another one came to mind."

Red scratched the back of his head nervously. "What would that be?"

The pig-tailed girl pointed a finger in the air. "Have you ever seen cotton candy being made?"

He raised an eyebrow. "C-cotton candy?"

"Yeah," she said to the red-eyed boy. "It starts off as a sugary liquid, but once it gets spun around very fast, it condenses into fluffy candy."

"Oh, yeah," Red stated with an embarrassed smile. "I knew that."

Crystal smiled a little at him and continued. "I thought something similar could've happened here. It's possible that a similar speed vortex could have been put around the grains so that the pressure would compress the outside into a solid shell but leave the inside in powder form."

Blue tilted her head. "Could something like that even happen?"

Crystal nodded slowly. "I believe so. I tried to recreate it myself, but I couldn't find anything that rotated quick enough to turn it that dense."

"There was nothing here at the lab that could move that fast," Emerald said with a disappointed sigh.

Gold nodded in agreement. "Super Serious Gal even took a Ninjask from the PC, but even with its Speed Boost, it couldn't fly fast enough."

"Then that's probably not how it happened," Silver concluded with a sigh similar to Emerald's.

Crystal's eyes flew to his. "No, I'm positive that that's how it happened."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "What proof do you have?"

She frowned at him and pulled out another paper. "If my calculations are correct, something revolving around the grains that fast must have made them condense in a split second. That means that the sudden contraction inwards would have pushed against the powder inside fast and hard enough to create a small amount of pressure."

Silver shrugged. "So? Just because it was denser than normal Sleep Powder doesn't mean that it had to have been pressurized."

Crystal bit her lip. "Actually…I think it does."

Silver cocked his head at her again as she dug through the folder and cleared off the desk in front of her to make room for one more sheet. "I only tested half of the sample you gave me, Green. The other half I kept in a safe place for observation only. Again, I found something that you might want to know."

"What's that?" I asked a little anxiously, waiting for another picture to be shown.

She shook her head at me. "I don't have an image for this one because it was too small to see clearly. But you don't need one. I can just tell you what I saw." She looked down at her notes again with a frown. "Each separate solid grain had a crack in it. It was only a small one, but it was still there."

"Is that why you think it was pressurized?" Silver asked her, now starting to understand what she meant.

She didn't nod, but she didn't put him wrong either. Instead, she looked straight at me as serious as she could ever be. "Green, is her heart rate slowing down?"

I froze, almost gasping. Red did it for me though with wide eyes. "H-how did you know that?"

Crystal glanced down suddenly, and the other three froze along with me. "Crystal," I said tensely. "What is it?"

She sucked in a breath and bit her lip again. "By having a small crack like that, the pressurized powder inside would be required to leak out slowly, causing the resulting force of it to build up to the point where it would be more powerful than it usually is."

"Does that really matter, though?" I asked perplexed. "Whether it's stronger or not doesn't matter. That would only make the effects last longer."

Red nodded. "That doesn't explain the decrease in her pulse."

Crystal slowly raised her head and looked at us with solemn eyes. "I know. I'd been hoping that you'd say she was still doing fine, but now I know that this last part really is true."

Gold and Emerald stiffened, and we quickly followed suit. "What are you talking about?"

There was a small silence after my words in which Crystal took a quick breath and let it out. "When the powder has the chance to build up yet is forced to move slowly like that, its effects are…stretched."

Red's voice caught in his throat. "…stretched?"

She nodded slowly. "It's hard to explain. Since it can't take effect as fast as it normally does, the properties are somehow thinned out to the point where they do more than just make someone fall asleep."

He couldn't help himself from leaning forward. "What else does it do?"

Crystal didn't answer him at first, and he clenched his teeth in fear. "What else does it do?!"

Gold's bangs were covering his eyes, and Emerald had slightly turned away. Red's eyes widened, and he froze when Crystal finally brought herself to look at him.

"I-if what I'm saying is correct, and if Yellow's heart rate really is going down like I suspected…"

Red gripped the edge of the desk with both hands.

"T-then that means…"

His crimson eyes were boring into hers which were starting to grow shiny.

"Tell me."

She closed hers then, and I could see her clench her teeth.

"Y-Yellow-san is—"

Crystal, Gold, and Emerald suddenly disappeared, and the whole room went dark as the electricity vanished. I heard Red take in a sharp breath and leap for the videophone.

"Is what?!" He screamed even though there was no one there to answer him.

"Red!" Blue yelled, frantically pulling the trembling boy away.

"What was she going to say?!" He asked her helplessly.

"I-I don't know," she cried out, clearly as worried as he was.

"Hey," Silver said sharply, directing our attention across the gloomy room. Sunlight was pouring in through the front doors, but other than that, it was pretty dark. I could just make out the forms of the three next to me, and I squinted my eyes into the black when I sensed someone running for us.

"Guys!" White called out to us, screeching to a halt in front of Blue and panting hard.

"White?!" The older brunette shouted anxiously. "What's wrong?!"

The BW Agency president was breathless for a moment, but finally, she got a few words out.

"B-Black!" Huff. "H…he's…" Huff. "Out…side!"

Blue grabbed her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

White breathed in deep. "They came."

There was a single second of no motion, and all five of us were out of the door in a flash, heads whipping around as we scanned the streets.

White started running downtown and quickly waved at us to follow. "They went this way!"

Our feet were like bombs on the sidewalk as we sprinted through town, stopping in our tracks when we saw the show going on outside the Game Corner which was vacantly closed today. By now, I think we could all recognize Melany's two main guys so it didn't surprise me when I got a glimpse of one of them firing a shot at Black and Tepig ahead.

An explosion suddenly sounded, and I covered my eyes as we were enshrouded in a dusty haze. I coughed from the smoke and tried to get a bearing on where everyone was. I sensed Red on my right and Blue and Silver to the left. My eyes widened when I realized White wasn't there, and I heard sharp slaps of boots on concrete ahead.

"White!" Blue called out, noticing her absence. "Wait!"

The thin haze suddenly lifted, and I saw White staring in fear at the sky. "No!"

Our heads snapped up in shock to see Melany's blonde henchman flying atop his Fearow, Black defiantly trying to escape the claws that were clamped on his shoulders and holding him captive in mid-air. His Tepig was watching helplessly with White, and the rest of us rushed up behind them.

"This is bad," White started freaking out. "This is bad!"

The Tepig looked at her worriedly, and Blue touched her arm. "Bring out Yang. You can fight now!"

White shook her head bitterly. "I went after Black before the power went out. I tried to help him, but I'm just not strong enough! Yang got knocked out."

Blue nodded softly and smiled. "It's okay. Becoming a great trainer doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. Now." The brunette smirked and looked to the enemy in the sky. "Let's take care of this pest."

Red suddenly froze, and I turned to him sharply. "What's wrong?"

He quickly pointed at the blonde in the air. "Only one of them is here, and White just said Black went after him _before_ the power went out."

Silver paused and looked at him. "That means—"

"There's still one left," I finished lowly.

Red immediately started running uptown toward the mall, and I dashed after him, tackling the boy before he could go any farther. I pinned him down and frowned as he fought to get loose.

"Let me go!" He growled. "We have to go to Yellow _now_!"

"What about Black?!" I shouted at him, slowly releasing my friend when he stopped struggling. "You need to think about everyone else, too!"

He nodded and got up quickly. "You're right. Sorry." He turned to Silver. "There's only one of them. Can you handle him?"

The redhead huffed and released Weavile who crossed his arms at his trainer's side. "Easily. You guys get back to Kathy's as fast as you can and _get Yellow out of there_!"

Red nodded sharply and waved at the rest of us to follow. I was right behind him, and the girls did the same a few seconds later when Blue finally convinced White to move. They ran a close five feet behind us, and as Red and I hurried through town, I caught his eye multiple times and tilted my head. "What?"

He looked down. "I can't believe I just flipped out like that." The black-haired boy shook his head. "What's going on with me?"

Strange enough, as we continued to sprint along the streets, I got a flashback from when we went inside the chip to get rid of the virus so that we could get into the TR pendant's tracker. Our conversation on the way to the castle the first time ran through my thoughts, and that one last thing I'd said echoed in my mind.

He took my silence as an answer and sighed before seeing the mall ahead and clenching his teeth. Blue and White were on our heels through the front doors and all the way to the third floor. We burst into Kathy's art shop, surprising the woman who'd been tending to the empty store. Blue stopped briefly to explain, and the rest of us thundered on through the back hallway into the home goods store.

Yellow hadn't moved from the spot Red had first placed her (not that I'd expected her to), and he made a path for her the instant his eyes locked on her still form.

"Thank Arceus we beat them," White sighed as Red slipped his arms beneath Yellow and scooped her up.

He aimed for the door but didn't move. "Where do we go now, Green?"

A map of Kanto flashed behind my eyes, and I looked to the south. "Fuchsia City's our best bet."

He nodded and took a step. However, right as he was about to take another, the door slammed shut on the other side of the room, and we froze. I was half-hoping it was Blue coming to join us, but I knew she never shut a door like that.

And I guess that's when Melany and her other grunt walked around the corner I just narrowed my eyes while the other two froze.

The white-blonde girl gave a small laugh. "Thanks guys! You sure do make great leaders!"

White gasped. "Y-you followed us?"

Melany nodded, slowly advancing. "We attacked you guys in town to make you think we were causing a distraction, but to be honest, we didn't quite know where you were hiding this time around. So when you came rushing into the art store, it was quite easy to just sneak in after you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like you were already lying in wait here at the mall before we even arrived."

She smirked. "Great deduction. Now let's talk business."

Red's voice was stone. "We don't have any."

Melany sighed and waggled a finger. "Ah, ah, ah. I believe we do Mr. Aka."

He turned into ice. "How did you know my last name?"

She rolled her eyes and turned around. "Not that hard considering you won the Indigo League, you know. Besides, I should know it—considering I'm working with your brother."

Red's jaw dropped upon in shock as Amber suddenly met Melany face to face from around the corner and walked back up to us with her. The twin wouldn't look any of us, his bangs hanging over his eyes so that we couldn't see them.

"Is…is that…" White realized with a glance at his gold and silver pendant.

Red's jaw went rigid. "Yeah. It is."

Amber flinched a little, and Melany gave him a sideways look before stepping forward again. "Alright, we've been playing this game long enough. I'd really appreciate it if you would just hand her over—"

"Jiggly, Doubleslap!"

I stepped back quickly as the three foes before us were knocked unconscious with a single blow, Blue revealing herself behind them as they fell to the floor. Her Wigglytuff stood beside her, and they rushed over to us with hurried feet. Her hand had a Pokeball in it, and I reeled in surprise when she shoved it in my hands and gathered the other two around me.

"You guys need to get out of here now!" She declared firmly, looking hastily back at the huddled group lying on the floor. "They're going to wake up any minute! Just tell Abra where to go and tell him to come back to the Pokemon Center in town!"

"When did you have time to get Abra from the PC?" Red asked loudly. "And when you still have your team of six!"

"I did yesterday when we were at the library. I went to the Center real quick and got him because I thought something like this might happen," she explained rapidly, pressing Abra's Pokeball button and handing him to me once we was out. "Now get going!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" I yelled at her. "Why aren't you coming?!"

"I can't leave Kathy to their mercy!" She shouted back at me, face red from anger. "That would be wrong! I'll lead them away from town and help Silver get Black back!"

"I'm coming too then!" White said defiantly, stepping over to her side.

Blue scrutinized her for a moment before smiling to herself and nodding. "Okay, but you two have to go," she said to Red and me. "Get Yellow out of here!"

I stood there speechless, mouth hanging open a little. I looked to White who didn't have any capable Pokemon for battle and remembered the last time I had left Blue to deal with Melany's guys. My fist clenched beneath Abra's leg. "Blue, I-I can't. Not after what happened in Saffron."

Her eyes softened, and mine widened as she suddenly leaned forward and hugged me, Abra and all. My face started burning as Red smirked at me, and she gave a small smile after pulling away.

"Don't worry. I promise I'll be fine."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but somehow I believed her and clamped it shut. Blue was more than capable of taking care of herself, but I don't think I could take it if she showed up again covered in burns like before. She smiled at me again, and I sighed.

"Don't you dare tell me not to worry."

Despite the circumstances, she giggled, and I latched onto Red. Looking down at Abra, I said, "Fuchsia City."

He started glowing bright gold, and the luminescence soon flowed over Red, Yellow, and me. I only got another second to give Blue one last look before the world flashed all around, and Abra teleported us away from her and White.

* * *

The smile fell from my face as soon as Green disappeared.

_I _will_ make it back. All four us will. _

Turning to White and the three bodies lying on the floor, I made a split decision and exchanged Wiggly for Nido.

"W-what are you doing?" White called after me as I ran farther into the store for a minute. When I came back with a long roll of rope, her head tilted. "Um, what's that for?"

I smiled deviously and set to work before they would wake up. Not long later, Nido was carrying three tied-up enemies on her back, and I smirked at White. "Hostages."

She quickly got the idea and smiled back, immediately following me as I led Nido back down the hall into the art shop. I'd already explained everything to Kathy so it was nice that she already had a personal elevator in the store ready to go down.

"This'll take you down to the side of the building," she said quickly, hitting the first floor button. "Just follow the path back to the main road."

I smiled sadly at her and gave the kind woman a hug. "Thank you for everything."

She gave a small laugh and shoved me back inside the elevator with White and Nido as the doors began to close. "Just make sure you pummel those guys for me!"

I laughed loudly back at her, and my view of the lady was soon cut off by the big metal doors. As we went down, White fidgeted with her fingers. "She was really nice to us."

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, she was."

The box came to a halt, and we were out of it as fast as possible, trying to keep from attracting attention as we headed back for the main road. Nido was still quite fast even with three unconscious people weighing her down so it only took us another ten minutes to get back to the Game Corner to find that Silver was battling with the blonde henchman on his Honchcrow, stopping him from flying off with Black who by now was growing exhausted by the unmovable claws on him. His Tepig had somehow gotten onto the Fearow's back and was trying to burn the guy on top of it.

"Would you stop it?!" The blonde yelled furiously, throwing the Fire type off and sending him hurtling toward the ground.

White gasped sharply and ran forward. "Tep!"

Her calculations were right on the dot, and she caught him right in her arms. Fire was breathing from his snout, and it wasn't hard to see that he didn't enjoy the sudden free-fall. Black apparently didn't either as this display fueled his fury even more and gave him the strength to struggle again.

This moment of distraction gave Silver the chance to fly in close for a Pursuit attack which knocked the Fearow down a good ten feet so that it was only perhaps fifteen high in the air now. I watched worried as it sent a Hyper Beam aimed for Honchcrow. Silver nimbly dodged though, and I let out a pent up breath. At least he wasn't getting hit.

"B-Blue!" I turned sharply at the high note in White's voice and saw the girl staring at the Pokemon in her arms. "Something's wrong with Tep!"

My head tilted in surprise when I saw him start to glow brightly, and I looked away at the harsh light, catching a glimpse of Black in the air with his jaw slack as he too witnessed what was happening. Silver and the blonde guy also paused their battle to watch curiously, and after a short while, the glare faded. All of us looking back at once, our eyes widened when we saw that White was no longer holding a Tepig.

Rather, she was being sat on by what appeared to be an even bigger fire pig.

I didn't waste any time whipping out my Pokedex.

"**Pignite, the Fire Pig Pokémon. Pignite moves faster when its internal flame becomes more intense. This also occurs when it gets angry."**

Even though he was currently being held captive, Black grinned widely and waved his arms. "Tep! That's awesome! You just evolved!"

Silver and Melany's henchman broke out of their trance then, and the former was faster than the latter, shooting by with a Fly attack. The move momentarily dazed the Fearow, and Tep surprised us all when he suddenly jumped off White and shot into the air, fire streaming all around him like a blazing bullet. He soared straight up at the Flying type, missing Black by an inch and ramming into the Fearow's underside. The shock from the attack caused it to unclench its claws, and Black fell with a yell.

"Nido!" I screamed, pulling the three people off her back to let her move faster. I quickly threw them on a patch of grass off the sidewalk, the collision causing them to groan and start waking up.

Nido had dashed forward under Fearow, arms reaching out to catch Black just in time before he hit the ground. Her momentum carried her another few feet before she could stop and check on Black. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he only opened them when White started frantically shaking his shoulder, tears almost in her eyes. She stared at him blankly, and he did too for a moment before breaking into a wide smile.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!"

White started laughing weakly, and he grinned at her, stepping down from Nido's arms. I ran up to them and breathed out deeply. "Are you okay, Black?"

He nodded happily. "Yep! I can't believe they caught me up like that! Thank goodness you guys came!" Tep marched proudly over to him, and Black started grinning all over again. "Look at you! I had a feeling you were close to evolving! And you learned Flame Charge!"

The Pignite grunted merrily, and we all jumped suddenly as something crashed behind us. Spinning around, we saw that the Fearow had been knocked out and fell to the ground near where I had set down Melany, Amber, and her other grunt. By now the three were awake, wiggling around in their ropes.

Returning Nido and striding over to them, I knelt down and frowned. "You guys have really got to learn when to stop."

Melany laughed at me, and I was surprised that it sounded genuine.

"You would think we would by now." Her chuckles died down, and she looked at me curiously. "So what are you going to do? Interrogate us?"

I glanced away from her smirk to check that they were still secured by their bindings and that the blonde had been knocked out cold from the crash. My eyes flickered to Amber's for a moment before he turned his head away and shadowed them with his bangs.

Seeing as how they couldn't come after us at the moment, I shook my head and stood up. "Nah, I think we'll just leave you here." I looked at Amber with my peripheral vision. "There's no point in helping. You _are_ the enemy after all."

Amber gritted his teeth lightly, and Melany huffed with an arched eyebrow. "Just leave us here?"

I nodded and turned to Black and White who was still making sure that he was alright. Silver landed next to us and did likewise with his Honchcrow. Looking to me, he asked, "Where're Red and Green?"

I sighed calmly. "Safely gone with Yellow."

He let out a sigh of relief similar to mine, and I smiled at Black and White. "Ready to go?"

They nodded happily and started ahead with Silver and me right behind them. We all paused though when we heard something shift.

"Well, if she's gone off and escaped again, I guess we'll just have to take you guys instead. I'm sure we can get some information out of you."

I almost growled at Melany's voice and turned around to see that she'd slyly escaped from her bonds when we weren't looking and helped the brunette and Amber to do the same. Her Venomoth was floating lightly beside her, and the brunette swiftly released his Fearow. Amber stayed next to Melany, doing nothing but watching the scene with a blank face.

Faster than I could have ever hoped to notice, Melany flicked a finger at her Venomoth, and it shot forward at White, legs reaching out to grab her until Black told Pignite to use Ember on it. The Fearow was told to go after Silver, and my eyes widened in fear when I saw that it was going too fast for him to dodge. Jumping harshly, I shoved him out of the way and gave a short scream as the Flying type's talons dug through the material of my shirt and into my back, tearing at the skin as they missed the chance to grab my shoulders.

Silver gasped sharply as I fell to the ground, and he helped me back up, flinching each time I did until he had my arm around his shoulders. Panting heavily, I cringed as I straightened up, and my back set on fire. Silver frowned at this and turned to see how Black and White were doing.

Black and Tep had kept fighting and surprisingly taken down both Venomoth and Fearow with Tep's new Flame Charge move. Melany and her grunt quickly returned their Pokemon, and seeing this small window of opportunity, I waved shakily at the others.

"Run!" They looked at me like I was crazy, and their eyes grew large when they saw the red on my shirt. I ignored them and gritted my teeth as a new wave blazed across my back. "Get to the Pokemon Center! _Now_!"

They heard the hiss in my tone and started sprinting for Silver and me, Black returning Tep to his Pokeball as he ran. Forcing myself to ignore the flames raging across my skin, I let go of Silver and did so myself, the redhead refusing to leave my side even though I knew darn well that he could run a lot faster than me.

Melany's eyes widened when she realized what we were doing and was after us in an instant, her only conscious grunt following right after her. When I turned around to see how far back they were, I found that Amber had silently stayed behind, kneeling down beside the other grunt who was just starting to wake up. My fevered gaze flew back to Melany though when I saw that she was leaving her henchman in the dust and quickly catching up.

Anxiously turning back ahead, I almost melted in relief when I saw that the Center was only twenty feet down the street, and Abra was waiting patiently at the front doors. Taking the lead, I pushed myself as fast as I could go and wrapped him in my arms as soon as I was in reach. The others crowded around, and I shouted at them to hold onto me.

As they gripped my shirt, Melany came dashing around the corner and saw the Abra in my arms, surprise and dread making her run even faster.

"Return!" I yelled loudly, feeling the Pokemon in my arms grow warm as he began to glow.

The last thing I saw before the flash of Teleport drowned out the world was the sight of Melany's mouth as she screamed, "No!"

Our transfer didn't take but five seconds and soon we were being deposited on another sidewalk, this one in front of another Pokemon Center that was at the top of a ledge that you could see the far away ocean from.

White's eyes were still wide, and she gave a short huff. "That was _way_ too close."

Black nodded in agreement, and I gave a small laugh that quickly turned into a cough and another agonizing ripple across my back. Silver's eyebrows creased in worry, and he started for the doors. "We should get you treated."

I returned Abra and slowly walked inside with the others behind me. I looked around and saw Red and Green waiting nervously in the lounge area. Knowing that they'd gotten here safe and sound and that Yellow was also here safe, I let out a contented sigh and collapsed on the floor.

"Blue!" Silver exclaimed, bending down swiftly and trying to help me sit up. That only made my back burn more, and I bit my tongue to hold back a hiss. The smack of my body of the floor had made Red and Green's heads snap towards us, and I looked up in time to see the brunette's eyes the size of Pokeballs before they narrowed in fury and he sprinted right on over, a worried Red on his heels.

"What happened?" He asked quickly, voice low as he examined me. I was lying on my stomach and winced slightly as he fingers grazed over my mutilated skin.

"Melany was trying to capture us, and she stopped them," Silver said softly, kneeling down next to him.

I could sense Green looking at me and prepared myself for his glare before craning my neck up to face him. My narrowed eyes popped back to their previous wideness when I saw that he actually didn't look angry. He just looked…relieved. That only lasted for a second though as I winced again at his touch, and his eyes went hard.

"You need to get looked at," he told me firmly, helping me to my feet.

As soon as I was stable again though, I saw the videophones nearby from the corner of my eye and pulled my arm from his grasp. "Not until we call Crystal back."

Green turned to me and set his jaw. "Blue—"

"You and I both know that everyone here wants to know what she was going to say," I interrupted him, knowing that I had just beaten his logic with my own.

He sighed angrily and put my arm around his shoulders, helping me walk over to the videophones and setting me down in the chair. The other four were right behind us, and as Green typed in Professor Elm's number, Red looked down at me with worried eyes. "Are you sure you're okay? This can wait until later."

I heard the hesitance in his voice and shook my head. "No, it can't."

He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it and simply turned back to the monitor. White stood nervously next to Black and Green stayed kneeled beside my chair as the monitor went fuzzy. A second later, Crystal's wide light blue eyes filled the screen.

"Is everything alright?" She asked quickly, wanting to make sure that we were okay. Gold and Emerald were anxiously standing next to her, and the taller boy noticed my ragged appearance and leaned forward.

"What happened?!" He said incredulously, taking in the blood starting to seep over my shoulder.

"Not important right now," I coughed lightly. "Crystal! What were you trying to tell us?"

She ignored me and shook her head. "Blue, you need to see a doctor."

"That can wait!" I yelled persistently, cringing when I accidentally leaned back against the chair. "We've got to know what's wrong with Yellow!"

My stubbornness must have worn her down for she sighed and glanced away.

"You're sure Yellow's heart rate is going down?" She rechecked slowly, her voice tinged with light fear.

"What?" White said suddenly, but Black hushed her even though his face was asking the same thing.

Red nodded stiffly, and Crystal directed herself at him.

"Then I'm sure."

Red's eyes widened, and he clenched the edge of the desk, bracing himself for what she was about to say.

"Yellow is in a coma."

* * *

Me: GASP! DUN DUN DUN! The big news you've all been waiting for! Why Yellow is not waking up! Eheheh...I know the whole powder thing is kinda hard to understand, and it's even harder to explain, but I hope to make it simpler in the next chapter!

Gardevoir: *scoff* It's easier to understand than your quacking table!

Me: *angry sigh* We've been over this! Duck gets stuck in table. Duck goes quack. Which means the table goes quack!

Gardevoir: Okay, so if you get stuck in a car and you break a bone, does that mean the car just broke a bone?

Me: *shakes head* No because the bone is not physically a part of the car. It's not touching it. The _duck however_ is stuck in the table and is literally touching it. A part of the table!

Gardevoir: But when you're in the car, you're touching it so that means you're a part of it too, right?! So that means the car would break a bone!

Me: Noooooo because although you yourself are touching the car, your bone is not when it breaks. It's still inside you unable to touch the car.

Gardevoir: GAH! I GIVE UP! Stupid troll logic...

Me: Yay! The table quacks! Hehe! Well I hope you all liked the chapter! Review and return for the next one which will hopefully be posted soon!


	10. Chapter 10: Hospitals and Water Guns

Me: Yay!

Gardevoir: *wary* What?

Me: I just went and saw a magician yesterday! It was so fun! He made it _snow_ in the auditorium!

Gardevoir: Psht! That's easy! I can do more magic than that guy!

Me: *dubious* Oh really?

Gardevoir: *nods* Tell me what to do.

Me: *crosses arms* Okay. Make Max appear right here.

Gardevoir: *smirk* Easy. *waves hands around with psychic powers*

*POOF*

Me: *wide eyes* Um...that's not Max

Gardevoir: *sees that it's actually Carlos in a pink robe sleeping upright with a Pikachu plushie* Oh. *sweatdrop* Oops.

Carlos: *starts waking up* Wha...?

Me: *hastily throwing arms around* Send him back, send him back! Before he notices!

Gardevoir: *quickly makes Carlos disappear* Well that was...strange. **Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. *sigh* If you guys are anything like me, you probably are getting sick of that by now. Lol**

* * *

Chapter Ten: Green

"What?!"

Crystal cringed slightly at Red's outbreak and nodded.

"B-but…how?!" He yelled hysterically.

Black and White's heads popped up on either side of Silver behind Blue's shoulders.

"Yellow's in a coma?!" The girl asked in a high-pitched tone.

"But I've never heard of something like that happening!" Black exclaimed with furrowed eyebrows as he racked his brain for anything he might have once come across at the many libraries he'd been to in his life.

Crystal sighed and held up her hands. "Let me try to make it simpler. Somehow, someone was able to 'mutate' a certain amount of Sleep Powder so that it not only put someone to sleep but also slowed down their body.

Blue's breathing stuttered. "Uh, would you mind repeating that last part?"

"Remember how I told you about the pressure issue and slow release? Well, it basically goes like this—since the powder was forced to operate slowly…" Crystal broke off a second. "It in turn forced her body to move slowly."

Red's fingers clenched the desk again as she went on.

"When the powder absorbed into her skin, it entered her body and made everything begin slowing down. Her systems started performing at slower rates, and her blood wouldn't move as fast as it normally does." Crystal nodded at me. "That's why her pulse isn't as high as it should be. Her heart isn't pumping like usual."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Silver said with wide eyes. "If this keeps going, won't she just…shut down?"

Red grit his teeth at that, but thankfully, Crystal shook her head. "I don't think so. I believe all the powder will do is keep her in this slow-motion state."

"But how do we stop it?" Blue asked desperately. "There's got to be something we can do to, like, snap her out of it!"

Crystal bit her lip, a habit I was beginning to notice that she did quite frequently in situations like this. "I-I'm afraid not. The only thing I can think of besides an actual cure—which they're probably making sure you guys don't get—would be to do something that would cause a sudden rush of adrenaline or spike of fear that might get her blood and systems running quick again. But she's unconscious. We'd never be able to get through to her."

"Could we, like, go inside her thoughts and try to shock her from the inside?" Black suggested suddenly, making us all turn to him.

Everyone paused, and Gold and Emerald looked at Crystal with widened eyes. The girl was looking quite surprised herself and glanced up with a finger at her chin. "That sounds quite interesting actually. But how would one go about doing that?"

The brunette took a Pokeball from his belt and held it up to show a pink Pokemon smiling out from inside. "I have Musha! He's a Munna. They're a special type of Pokemon that deal with eating people's excess dreams." He laughed. "Or at least my excess dreams."

"Eating dreams?" Crystal said shocked. "Well…it seems like it might work. But how would that help? Can a Munna actually control the dreams of someone?"

Black scratched his head a moment before shrugging with a sweatdrop. "I, uh, don't know. I've never really tried it before."

Crystal nodded with a small smile. "Well then, let's rule that out for now. But we're starting to think on the right track now. We need to somehow wake her up from the inside."

Red looked up from the floor where he'd been staring keenly at, and his face softened at her. "Thanks for telling us, Crystal."

She saw the glossy look coming to his eyes and breathed in quickly. "Red…"

He smiled sadly and shook his head, turning away to sit down in a chair off screen. Her blue eyes trailed after him, and she sighed. "I-I just wish there was something more I could do."

"No, you've done great," I reassured her while giving Red a blank look. "It's thanks to you that we know what we're dealing with now."

Despite my words, her eyes fell to the desk, and Gold looked at her worriedly.

"He's right, Crys," the goggled boy said softly.

Emerald nodded and reached out to hug her. She looked up and smiled at him, completing his embrace. "I know, but I can't help but worry."

I glanced over at Red. "You're not the only one."

A beep suddenly sounded from the other end of the line, and Crystal broke away from Emerald to find the source—her Pokegear. Squinting her eyes at the screen, she sighed. "Sorry guys, but I have to get back to work. Professor Elm had to leave to see a colleague for a few days, and I'm in charge of recording the Poffin experiment data."

Blue nodded, pausing at the light strain to her back. "Thanks for calling."

Crystal nodded back before giving a hesitant wave. A fuzzy screen soon followed, and I clicked it off.

We sat there in silence, this new information whirling through our heads like a typhoon. It wasn't until Blue leaned back on the chair and gave a sharp cry that we even remembered she was hurt.

"Somebody get Nurse Joy," Silver said tightly, helping her up from the chair and starting for the front desk.

White ran ahead, leaning frantically over the counter as the pink-haired woman emerged from the door behind it. I took Blue's other arm and glanced at her pained expression as I wrapped it around my neck. When I'd checked her back earlier, it hadn't looked too bad so I hadn't been all that worried. She cringed as we started shuffling along and my eyebrows creased lightly. But it must have been worse than I'd thought.

We moved slowly to help keep her from losing more blood, but even so, as White finished explaining and a stretcher was brought out, Silver and I could see that more red had stained her blue shirt as she was laid out. The girl looked up at us and tried to smile, but a second later she passed out.

"Blue!" The redhead cried out before Nurse Joy reassured him and held the boy back as she and Chansey took her to the emergency room.

Black and Red were standing motionless behind us as White came to our side. The brunette stared at the door Blue had disappeared behind and bit her lip lightly. "D-do you think she—"

"She'll be fine," Silver interrupted sharply, but his voice was hollow, and I turned to see him also watching the doors intently.

The time gradually slipped by, and the others slowly drifted to the lounge area to sit down. Silver and I, however, stayed planted to the spot, shoulders tense as we waited for someone to come back through the door.

An hour or two passed and nothing changed. Then, finally, we heard footsteps from the other side, and our ears perked up when the door began to open. We rushed forward just as Nurse Joy stepped out onto the lobby floor.

"Blue, is she okay?" Silver asked quickly, his words a jumble as they raced to escape his lips.

Nurse Joy nodded. "I called in some doctors, and they're almost done. I can give you a full report once they've completed."

He hung his head in relief, but I raised an eyebrow at the mention of doctors before remembering that Pokemon Centers were for Pokemon—not people.

"In the meantime," Nurse Joy said happily. "You can come see your other friend. We've gotten her all settled."

Silver tilted his head, and I almost jumped as Red suddenly materialized beside me. "Yellow?"

She nodded with a smile, and he quickly walked past her, not even stopping to ask which room said girl was in. Nurse Joy stared after him, and Silver waved a hand at Black and White who walked over to us with identical expressions of confusion. Without a word, the pink-haired lady took us through the door and led us along the various hallways. Most of the rooms just had a recovery table hooked up to a healing machine for the injured Pokemon, but as we paced along and Nurse Joy opened up one of the doors for us, I could see that it contained an actual bed. And in that bed was a certain sleeping blonde girl.

Red looked up from Yellow's side, already sitting in a chair and standing guard near her head. She had been hooked up to a few machines so we could keep track of her heartbeat and what else was going on inside her, an IV tube sticking out of her hand to keep her unresponsive body sustained.

Nurse Joy left us to sit ourselves, and we soon did so, Black and White claiming the last two chairs while Silver and I stood at the foot of the bed.

"It doesn't look like much has changed," the redhead said, commenting on her normal breathing and soft pulse beeping on the monitor hanging on the wall.

Nobody really answered, the five of us just kind of standing there in silence as we looked at Yellow with Crystal's new information running through our heads.

"I just can't believe it," Red muttered to himself, fist clenching around the protective bar on the bed. "A coma!"

"T-there's still a chance Crystal could've been wrong," White said doubtfully, trying to put our minds at ease.

Black turned to her and shook his head. Crystal had guessed dead on about Yellow's heart rate. We all knew her theory was right.

"Hopefully the doctors might come up with something," I said with crossed arms, breaking the silence. "We asked them to hook her up like this so we could try to find some way to wake her up."

"Sounds like a good idea," Black agreed. A second later, a loud grumbling noise sounded, and we all turned to see him smiling sheepishly.

"For a second there, I thought that was Red," Silver muttered, making the black-haired boy look over at him with a mock glare. He shook his head and walked over to Black and White. "Come on; let's go find the cafeteria. I'm sure you both are hungry."

Black immediately jumped to his feet with a smile, and White did too after contemplating her appetite for a moment. They filed out the door, and Silver turned to us with a hand on its frame.

"We'll be back in a while." His eyes grew worried for a second. "Come get me if any news on Blue comes."

I nodded, and he vanished around the corner. I looked back at Red and pulled up a chair beside him as he took Yellow's hand.

"What are we going to do?" He asked helplessly, staring at her with wide red eyes. "We can't just let this keep going. There's got to be some way to wake her up."

"There is," I reassured him gently. "We just need some time to find it. That's all."

He shook his head lightly, his grip tightening. "That's what I'm afraid of. We might not have that much more time."

I turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "We just disappeared in the middle of the day a few hours ago. It'll be a while before Melany can find us again."

His eyes didn't leave her face, but I could see them narrow. "I don't know, but for some reason, these past few times it hasn't taken them that long at all to."

My eyes widened a little as I realized he was right.

"Besides, how do we know that making her sleep is all this powder will do?" He added, his breath leaving him. "Crystal said it had taken on different qualities than normal. W-what if...it keeps on making her slow down until…"

He trailed off and closed his eyes. I could sense the fear radiating off him and felt myself soften at him. I knew it was hard for him to keep calm in a situation like this, especially concerning Yellow, and after seeing him freak out earlier, I had a feeling he was starting to break.

"Hey, Red."

His eyes opened, and he looked at me. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember when we went into the TR pendant's tracker chip, and we had to go shut down the virus?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember what I said when we were in the forest?"

His eyes widened.

"That's what I think is wrong with you."

My answer to his question as we were running through Celadon earlier finally clicked in his head, and his jaw dropped open a little. "D-do you really think…?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do." I paused and glanced at Yellow's peaceful form. "After all that's happened, you're only going to get one chance to tell her when she wakes up. So you better say what you really want to say."

He clamped his mouth shut. "Yeah."

There was so much emotion swimming in his crimson irises, and he softened his grip on Yellow's hand.

But a second later, hers tightened around his.

"Y-Yellow?!" His voice was high in shock, and my head snapped up as the monitor started beeping a little faster.

Our eyes flew to her face and widened when we saw her frown.

"W-what's going on?!" Red shouted distressed. "Is she waking up? Yellow!"

Her eyes stayed firmly shut, but her lips began to move. She mumbled something, but neither Red nor I heard it.

"What'd she say?" I murmured, leaning forward with him.

Her voice rose drastically in a matter of seconds until she was basically screaming, and Red and I could plainly make out what the words were.

"Her who?!"

The blonde started tossing and turning, and Red fought to calm her down. "Her who?!"

Her kicking got to the point where Red had to stand and pick her up, restraining her from moving her limbs as he crushed her against him. He stroked her hair gently and coaxed her to calm down with a soft voice. Ever so slowly, her struggles and voice fell until she was limp and quietly shaking.

"Her who?" She whispered to no one, tears running out the edges of her still-closed eyes.

The monitor slowed down, and Red softly placed her back on the bed as her face smoothed out, and she stopped shaking. Brushing the stray tears away with his fingers, he sat back down with wide eyes. "What in Arceus' name was that?!"

"I-I don't know," I admitted, eyes quite wide myself. "A nightmare perhaps?"

Red bit his lip. "But I thought her systems were working too slowly for normal activity?"

"Apparently not her mind." My head tilted at the rise and fall of her chest. "Or her lungs."

Red sighed and held his face in his heads. "Well, I guess that's a good thing. Wouldn't really like it if she just stopped breathing." He brought his eyes back out but kept his hands on his chin. "But what was that she was saying?"

"I think it was, 'her who'," I said, trying to recall her loud, sharp words.

He shook his head and laid it on the bed's side bar. "What does that mean?"

I shrugged lightly and gave the sleeping girl another look. "Who knows?"

The door opened suddenly, and we whipped around to see Nurse Joy staring at the monitor. "I thought I heard something," she told us, walking over to the machine and checking its history. Her eyes widened at the event a few minutes ago, and she turned to us. "It looks like there was spike just now."

"Yeah, she said something in her sleep, but she was still unconscious," I said smoothly, leaving out the puzzling message that Yellow had given us.

The pink-haired woman nodded and stood back up, aiming for the door. "Well, I was on my way here to tell you that you can go see Blue now."

I was on my feet in an instant and turned to Red. He nodded, and I quickly followed Nurse Joy out of the room. She led me through the maze of hallways not far from Red and Yellow to another part of the building that had been made into a room for Blue. She opened the door for me, and I brusquely walked in to see her lying on a bed similar to Yellow's, her cobalt eyes concealed at the moment.

"The doctor will be back soon with the results," Nurse Joy said, watching me as I pulled up a chair beside Blue. "I'll be sure to send them here when they do."

"Would you mind getting Silver? The kid with red hair?" I asked her, my eyes not leaving Blue. "He's in the cafeteria."

She nodded silently and softly shut the door behind her.

I stared at Blue's unmoving form with wide eyes. Her hair was disheveled, and I could see the white bandage wrapped around her back and chest beneath the thin covers. Her shirt had been washed and folded, lying in a small pile with her hat and bag on the table beside the bed. Picking up the clothing, I narrowed my eyes at the three giant slits in the material at the top of the back and could only imagine what her actual shoulder must look like under the bandage. I grabbed her yellow bag and rummaged through it until finding the extra shirt she'd bought the other day and exchanging it for the ripped one. I didn't think she'd want to feel a breeze when she put it back on.

The door opened again, and I turned around to see Silver standing there with his hand on the knob, gaze trained on the brunette unconscious on the bed. Mechanically, he grabbed another chair and settled beside me, plopping down in the seat without a word.

"Man, she really got banged up this time, didn't she?" He said bluntly, gloved fingers lightly passing over the slightly red bandage across her back as she was lying on her stomach. "I was worried she might've lost some blood on the way here."

I sighed and shook my head. "Arceus, she's got to stop doing this to herself. If this keeps going on, she's not going to have any more blood left to lose."

"Well, for now she does," said a dark-haired doctor from the door that Silver forgot to shut. We looked at her as she stalked over to the foot of the bed with a clipboard in her hands. "The results show that a good portion is gone, but thankfully she didn't lose enough for it to be critical. However, we want to give her some just in case."

"Okay," I nodded. "Where it is?"

The doctor frowned. "See, Blue has B- type blood. So we can only give her another B- or O- transfusion. However, there was an emergency earlier today, and all of those types were used up. We haven't had enough time to replenish our stocks."

Silver and I simultaneously took off our jackets and thrust out our arms. "You can use our blood."

There was a weak cough behind us, and we quickly turned around to see Blue looking up at us with a small smile. Throwing our jackets on the chairs, we went back to the side of the bed and knelt down face to face with her, the doctor following.

"You idiots," she rasped. "You can't give me blood. You're both AB+. The only people you can give blood to are each other."

"Wait. How do you know our blood types?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

She smirked faintly. "I told you; I know many things." She coughed again and laid her head back down. "Get Red. He's got O- type blood."

Silver nodded and took the doctor to see Red. Grabbing a chair from behind and sliding it beneath me, I leaned forward and put my arms on the bedrail. She saw the coming smart talk in my eyes and frowned.

"Don't even. I'm not in the mood."

I smirked and scoffed lightly. "Tell me not to worry…"

She glared at me, and I gave a short laugh. "Go to sleep. Red'll no doubt give you some blood, and you'll feel better in no time."

She closed her eyes and grabbed my hand on the sidebar. "Thanks."

I gritted my teeth a little at the blush that flooded my cheeks. "Don't thank me. It's not my blood."

She smiled and intertwined her fingers with mine, nodding off a few moments later. Seeing her asleep, I considered pulling my hand away before remembering that Blue was a reflexive sleeper and soundly kept it where it was. I really didn't feel like having her subconsciously dig her nails into my skin. I looked at her serene face and carefully turned my chair so that I could lay my head down on the sidebar. Besides, this wasn't so bad. Maybe I could get a nap before they came in and gave her the transfusion.

My eyes fluttered shut, and my mind calmly began to settle, nothing but soothing blackness overtaking the many thoughts that were floating around in my head.

* * *

"So you're saying they are?"

"Or they aren't?"

"Hard to say really. It's an on-off thing. I can't tell right now."

I huffed groggily in frustration as my slumber was disrupted by three loud voices. My loud breath caused them to turn to me, and I could tell who they were even in my half-dead state.

"Ah! Looks like they're starting to come to!" White said happily. I heard her walk up to me and poke the back of my head. "Wake up, Green!"

"White!" Red called out with a warning. "I wouldn't do that—"

He was cut off as my free hand shot behind my head and grabbed her wrist, twisting it slightly to the side. She let out a small cry, and Red pried my fingers off.

"He's a reflexive sleeper," the black-haired boy said apologetically, putting my hand back on the bedrail near the other one that was still entwined with Blue's.

_I'm not the only one, _I thought drowsily to myself, feeling Blue's grip tighten slightly.

"I don't think he's the only one," Black said as he strolled over to the two standing behind me, taking the words straight from my sleep-mode brain. "Remember when they tried to pull him away to give Blue the transfusion? She held onto him like a Combee on honey! I swear I heard her growl, too."

Red snickered. "I think Green did the same."

"Aha!" White exclaimed, and I could just imagine her finger in the air. "So they are, aren't they?!"

"Like I said," Red sighed. "I don't know at the moment."

I opened my eyes to slits and saw them knelt down right near my face. "You know I can hear you morons, right?"

White's eyes widened, but Red just waved the comment away. "He's not the best morning person either."

Black let out a small chuckle. "Apparently not."

I rolled my eyes and slowly leaned back into the chair, rubbing sleep from my eyes. "So they already came and gave her the blood?"

Red nodded with a smile. "Yep!" He showed me his arm which had a white gauze taped over it. "She's all good to go!"

I sighed and saw Silver leaning against the wall near the door. "Well that's a relief. Did they say how bad her wound was?"

The redhead nodded. "It wasn't that serious or anything. The cut just burst all lot of surface vessels which was why she bled so much. One of the gashes was a little deep though so they sewed it up."

I nodded back at him and faced the three at my side. They were staring with tilted heads at Blue and mines still locked hands, and my cheeks went pink as I tried to pull it away. The next second I winced as her nails bit into my skin and gave up the struggle. Sighing with closed eyes, I opened them back up to find White scratching her head.

"I'm so confused," she stated simply with a sigh of her own.

Black's head stayed tilted. "Me, too."

I arched an eyebrow. "How come?"

Red smirked and put a hand beneath his chin. "Well see, we walked in here earlier to find you asleep holding hands with Blue. Of course, it's only natural that our juniors wonder if you two are dating."

My eyes widened, and I could feel the heat rising quickly to my face at their questioning gazes. My mind fumbled for something to say, but nothing would come out of my mouth. Red sat there with an evil smile, and I glared at him with bared teeth.

_Stupid Red. _

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" I growled at him, face still the shade of a Cheri Berry.

He put a finger to his cheek and pretended to think. "Now, where have I heard that before?" He smiled at me. "I have to get my revenge somehow. That slap hurt you know."

He chuckled at my glare and turned to Black and White. "So what do you guys think? Are they a couple or not?"

White titled her head and looked up a second. "Hm…I would say yes."

I turned my hard drowsy eyes to Black, and he gulped. "Um, whichever answer doesn't get me killed."

Red laughed and stepped in front of him protectively. "Then that would be yes!"

I stared daggers at him, and everyone turned to Silver who had been carefully keeping quite. Attention now drawn to him, he looked at Blue and me a moment before closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall. "I withhold judgment."

Black laughed a little, and White turned to me as I gave a small yawn. "So are you guys?"

I sighed and rested my forehead on the bedrail again. "I'll let Blue answer that one."

I thought it was a good answer considering she was currently out cold, and they'd all forget this stupid, mortifying conversation by the time she woke up, but oh no. Just to make this whole situation worse, the brunette had to lift her head just then and smirk at my horrified face.

"You know what?" She said sleepily, raising her head up to smirk at Red. "I think that's Green's decision."

Silver almost burst out laughing, and the other three fell to the floor doing so as my eyes widened and, if it was even possible at this point, my face burned an even brighter shade red. I gritted my teeth and glared at Blue who only smiled at me and laid her head back down, waiting for my answer.

Growling lowly to myself, I pulled my hand away from hers. "I withhold judgment."

* * *

"Are you sure they came here?" The black-haired boy looked around nervously. "Are you sure it was this town?"

The blonde beside him sighed. "Yes, it's exactly where the tracker said she was." She looked at him with curious eyes as they walked past the Pokemon Center. "Is something wrong?"

He didn't say anything, just watching the ground as they walked along under the glow of the streetlamps.

The girl tilted her head in the twilight, and her face softened. "This is where your father died, isn't it?"

The boy tensed but kept walking. "How did you know that?"

"Don't you remember?" She chuckled shortly. "There was actually a time when we were open with each other, Amber."

A memory of him, her, and another certain girl suddenly popped into his mind, but he shoved it away forcefully. "I've kind of tried not to reminisce ever since that incident, Melany."

The blue-eyed girl hung her head. "Yeah, me too."

Amber's golden-orange eyes flashed for a minute. "What do you have to be upset about? I thought you were a traitor from the start?"

Melany didn't lift her head, but he could see that his words hurt her. Biting his tongue to refrain from saying more, he gave his surroundings another look before shuddering a little.

"Let's just get to the Safari Zone."

She barely nodded, silently following him along the deserted streets until they came to the back part of said property and stealthily jumped the fence without detection from the security cameras. Quickly getting up into some nearby trees, they scoped out the area to make sure it was clear before relaxing and settling onto the huge oak's branches.

"How long are we going to be in this city?" He asked quietly, leaning back on the tree's trunk just above Melany.

She looked up at him worriedly. "Amber, you have to learn to let that go. You can't let it keep bothering you forever!"

He stared at her with open anger. "You think I can just forget about something like that?! I saw him get shot with my own eyes!"

She narrowed hers at him and jumped down to the ground. Not yet done talking, he went after her, feet thumping on the soft grass as he landed.

"There's no way I could ever forget! It's been permanently burned into my memory!"

Melany clenched her fist. "But that doesn't mean you can't learn to live with it!"

Amber stopped suddenly, eyes wide as she breathed heavily.

"Stuff's going to happen in life, okay?" she told him bluntly, closing her eyes and tightening her fist. "Stuff that you can't do anything about. And although it may weigh down your mind every second of the day, you need to learn how to cooperate even with it there."

He tilted his head. "What are you talking about? I do. You don't see me curling up into a ball all the time do you?"

She cocked an eyebrow and reached into her pocket. "So you're saying that something like this doesn't bother you?"

A second later she whipped out a small black gun, and Amber jumped back five feet with his face full of horror.

"Holy Mother of Mew! Put that thing away!" He yelled frantically, arms waving wildly in front of him.

She sighed and face-palmed. "I'll take that as a no."

She set her face and started walking towards him. He backed away quickly in response.

"W-what are you doing?!" He shouted fearfully, eyes wide as he watched her advance.

"You need to get over your fear," she said simply, continuing to walk towards him.

In his haste, he tripped over his feet and fell backwards. His hands gripped the grass as she came to a halt in front of him and he stared up at her in shock. "But you don't have to shoot me!"

She gave a small laugh and smiled. "Yes I do!"

Her finger pressed the trigger, and he slammed his eyes shut, waiting for the crack of the barrel and an explosion of pain. He jolted them back open in surprise as he was doused with a small torrent of ice-cold water.

He wiped his eyes and looked up to find her smirking. "You really thought I would shoot you?"

He frowned at her. "I don't know what to expect with you anymore."

She lost her smile, bangs falling slightly over her eyes before she put the water gun back in her pocket and glanced at him with a blank expression. "When I found out that we were heading to Fuschia City, I had a feeling your old memories of the town would come back. So, until we get an exact location Yellow, I'm going to help you overcome your fear."

Amber's eyes widened at her, and she smiled a little. "Might as well do it now. No better time than when we're in the actual city itself."

Melany reached a hand out to help him, and after staring at it for a minute, he cautiously took it. On his feet again, he followed her as she climbed back up the tree. "So…how do plan on helping me with this?"

Their feet scrabbled on the bark as they reclaimed their previous branches. Melany brushed her long bangs out of her eyes and scratched the short hair near the back of her head. "Well, I think you're right when you say that you can't forget about what happened." She looked down at her lap. "It's never easy to forget about stuff like that."

Amber turned his head down at her, eyebrows scrunching slightly before she went on.

"But! Hopefully I can make it so that you can subdue that fear and not let it become a problem during a hasty situation."

He glanced back up at the sky and closed his eyes. "How are you going to do that?"

His eyes were still shut, but he could sense the smirk on her face.

"You'll just have to see tomorrow. Now go to sleep."

He sighed a little and leaned back on the trunk, thoughts gradually melting into a pleasant dream where there were no guns or haunting memories of his past in sight or mind.

* * *

"Up and atem!"

Amber's eyes drearily cracked open at Melany's loud and cheery voice, and he looked down to see her waving at him from the foot of the tree.

"We don't have a lot of time before we have to get back to the mission so let's get to work!"

The bright-eyed boy gave a small groan and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. A few minutes later, he let out a yelp as something grabbed him and flew the boy down to join the blonde who was waiting with a hand on her hip.

"You lazy bum! Let's get going!"

Amber looked up at her Venomoth as it let go of his shoulders and followed her to the edge of the large clearing where she picked up a short thick twig. Walking back to him, she held it out in front of her, the brown ends of it sticking out of either end of her fist.

"Get it out of my hand," she demanded calmly.

He raised an eyebrow but ran at her anyway, hands reaching out to knock it out of her fingers. An instant later, she shot forward, twisting his arms behind him and holding the stick to his neck.

"Dead," she murmured in his ear, twig pressing lightly on his skin before he was released.

He spun around to face her, eyes wide as he realized that this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

She stood with her feet planted on the ground and held her hand out. "Try again."

He scoffed in annoyance. "How is this supposed to help?"

She only shook her head. "Just do it."

An idea forming, he ran at her once more, dodging swiftly when she lashed out to grab him again. Quickly twisting back around while she got her bearings, he tackled her to the ground, the collision causing the twig to get knocked out of her hand. Nimbly jumping off her sprawled form, he snatched it in his fingers and waited patiently as she got back to her feet and faced him.

"Now there're the moves I taught you!" She said happily. He only kept a carefully blank face, and she huffed in light annoyance. "Alright then. Let's move on."

Her Venomoth suddenly appeared from behind her, and Amber jumped in surprise when it shot a Psybeam at him, making him drop the twig. Melany caught it, and Venomoth landed on her shoulder.

"Now let's see how you do with moving projectiles," she said challengingly.

Still not quite sure how this would help him overcome his fears, he nodded and proceeded to jump again as another beam was shot. He landed on one knee, eyes instantly searching for Melany as she began running around him and having her Venomoth send out more Psybeams.

Continuing to dodge and roll, he gradually kept getting closer to her until he finally had an opening. When a Psybeam blocked her vision of him, he jumped over the move straight at her, hands tearing the twig from hers as he shot by and landed on the ground behind.

The Venomoth ceased its shootings, and Melany turned to him, a smile on her face as she came all the way around. "Well look at you Mr. Stud! Dodging all those Psybeams like they were nothing!"

He smiled ruefully to himself, handing her the twig again as she walked up to him. "Like you said. All moves that you taught me."

Her eyes clouded over for a moment, memories coming back to her before she forced herself to shake her head. "Let's go again."

Amber looked at her for a moment before backing up a little and preparing himself. Melany stayed staring at the stick in her hands, not noticing that he was ready until the black-haired boy cleared his throat. The noise caused her head to jerk up, and she glanced over at him, seeing him watching her curiously.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern showing lightly in his voice.

She shook her head slightly and closed her eyes. "What…what happened to us?"

Amber's eyes instantly hardened, and he bared his teeth. "You know the answer to that. Don't even go asking me a question like that. I don't know what Sam meant when she said 'thank you', but I'm not about to say anything like that anytime soon."

Melany flinched barely and bit her lip. "What happened with Jade wasn't my fault, Amber."

He almost growled. "It was, and you know it!" He shook his head and took a calming breath, biting back another retort. "Let's just go."

She gave an imperceptible nod and flicked a hesitant hand at Venomoth.

Eventually, their tenseness faded as the morning slipped into mid-afternoon, and they began to realize what time it was. Both were covered in sweat from the high summer sun when Venomoth shot the last Psybeam, and Melany signaled at it to stop.

"Whew! I think that's enough! What time is it?"

Amber panted a little as he withdrew his black Pokegear from his pocket. "A bit after four."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly returned her Pokemon. "Well then we better go! There's one more thing I want to do before we get back to tracking."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he followed her carefully over the fence, but it wasn't from the mystery of what was next. It was the mention of tracking. The thought of Yellow made him think back to what Blue had told him the other day at the library.

"Hey," he said sharply as they walked slowly down the street, him a step behind her as she led him to wherever it was that they were going. "Remember that powder you told me to use on Yellow at the eclipse? The one that would make her fall asleep?"

Melany nodded from ahead. "Yeah. Why?"

Amber's eyebrow rose. "You do realize that she hasn't woken up yet. Right?"

His words made her freeze, right in the middle of the street. He stopped directly behind her and stared at the back of her head.

"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?"

She didn't say anything, and he walked up beside her to give her a sideways look. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

He saw her eyes darken. "I was hoping that I didn't have to." She looked up at the sky, ignoring his shocked face. "I'm surprised that fire didn't do the trick."

"W-what are you saying?" He stuttered, trying to comprehend what she was talking about.

"Hm," she hummed to herself. "I guess we'll have to find another way to wake her up."

Amber's eyes narrowed. "So you do plan on helping them get her conscious again?"

She waggled a finger at him. "Ah, ah. I didn't say I was going to help them! But is important that we get her back on her feet."

The two started to walk again, and Amber let out a small sigh. In a way, she'd avoided his question, but it was a relief to know that were going to help Yellow. He smiled to himself. _That definitely makes me feel better. _

He skidded in surprise when Melany suddenly turned down an empty alley. The streets around them were mostly vacant, no one around in sight. So it made him wonder why she was wandering down this alley.

Following her in, he glanced up at the tall brick walls on either side before bringing his gaze back down to find that she had stopped halfway to the street on the other end of the little alley. Her hand went to her belt, and his eyes widened when she brought out a gun. This time, a real one.

"Okay, now what're you up to?" He asked wary. The combination of gun and street alley was not helping him suppress his childhood fear.

"Remember the training we just spent all day doing?" She said expectantly. "Well, it's time to put it to the test."

He had just enough time to comprehend what she was saying before the first shot went off and he bolted to the ground. A bullet whizzed in the air above, and he glared at her. "What the heck, Melany?!"

His only answer was another shot, and he had to leap up and flatten himself quickly against the wall to avoid being struck. It was then that he realized what she was doing. She was trying to get him to understand how to fight with someone who had a gun. The previous training was supposed to simulate how to dodge the bullets, and now his job was to adapt to an actual firearm and learn how to defeat its user.

"But what about the stray bullets?" He called out to her worriedly. "What if someone gets hit?"

Silently taking out a Pokeball, Melany released her Heracross, and Amber watched as it used its Protect move on the entrance to the alley. "That way, any bullets will be shattered upon contact."

He nodded approvingly and sprang off the wall at the sound of another bang. Using his ears more than his eyes, he was able to judge when the shots were made and how fast they were going, ultimately telling him how much time he had to dodge. Constantly on the run as a kid, his senses had grown finely tuned to his surroundings, and it was no wonder that he was able to move as fast as he could.

And as they continued their dance of shots and swerves, there was one thing that the both of them hadn't seen. Right as they'd turned down the alley just a few moments before, they had thought that the streets were completely empty. However, one lone figure had stood about a quarter mile down the road, the blue-eyed brunette recognizing the two of them in an instant and sprinting like her life depended on it.

What the three of them failed to realize was that it just might.

* * *

Me: *smirk* See? I told you you couldn't do it!

Gardevoir: *points a finger* Actually, you didn't say that at all.

Me: *narrows eyes* Fine! Then prove me wrong and make Max appear!

Gardevoir: *sigh* It's obvious that they're sleeping at the moment. *frown* Which you should be doing.

Me: *sweatdrop* Oh. Right. Well, I have high hopes for satisfied readers! Hopefully that whole powder thing is understood better! *sigh* Again, not easy to explain. But anyway! Review and return guys! Let me know what you thought!

P.S. Hey Maxy, here's that chapter you were hoping for! I was planning to post it today, so what a coincidence! Teehee!


	11. Chapter 11: Things Are Said For a Reason

Me: Christmas Eve, It's Silver's birthday! Lalalalalaaaa, la la la la.

Gardevoir: *eating a candy cane* So we're singing songs now huh?

Me: *glares* I wish you'd shut up one of these days! Lalalalalaaaa, la la la la.

Gardevoir: Hey now! This candy cane is getting pretty sharp...

Me: So what, throw it! I can dodge it! Lalala, lalala, la la laaa

Gardevoir: *smirk* Okay. You asked for it. *reveals a pile of knife sharp candy cane darts*

Me: *gulp* If I don't live through this, Merry Christmas! La la la la laaaaaaaa, la laaa laaaa laaaaaaa *closes eyes and waits for dart*

Gardevoir: *about to throw dart but sees cowering form* Sigh. Oh fine! But only because it's the holidays!

Me: Yay! *jumps and gives Gardevoir a hug*

Gardevoir: Ah! Get off of me!

Me: *smiles* **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon in any way. Except Amber, Melany, and plot! ;D**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Blue

My laughter joined the others' at Green's evasive answer and red-hot cheeks.

"Is somebody getting embarrassed?" I chuckled weakly, still a little woozy after the blood transfusion. He glared at me, and I simply smiled back in response.

Red got up off the floor and punched his shoulder lightly. "You withhold judgment? That was totally stolen from Silver."

The redhead nodded with a small smile, but Green shook his head. "Words have no owner."

Red held his hands up in mock defeat. "No, that's alright. But the thing about withholding judgment is, the answer has to come out sometime."

The black-haired boy grinned at the brunette, but the response wasn't quite so friendly.

The fuming green-eyed boy got to his feet with clenched fists, his blushing face quickly disappearing as he stalked out of the room. White's amused smile dissipated as he left, and she turned to Black and Red as their laughter died down and they sat in the two now-empty chairs.

"Did we take things too far?" She asked worriedly, remembering the anger in her senior's eyes.

Red tilted his head guiltily. "Maybe a little."

I waved a hand at them, eyes closing again against the pillow's softness. "Don't worry about Greeny. He'll be fine." I chuckled quietly to myself. "He's just not familiar with his sensitive side too much."

Red smiled, and Silver nodded in agreement. Opening my eyes, I looked at the black-haired boy and smirked. "That was quite out of character for you, Red. When did you suddenly become so evil?"

He grinned mischievously. "I don't know if you heard me earlier, but I was simply returning a slap—although I guess this one was more mental than physical."

I laughed softly. "But you wouldn't get upset over something like that!"

He realized that I'd seen through his cover and sank into his chair with a frown. "No, but I _did_ need to pay him back for a certain sleeping pill incident."

I raised an eyebrow curiously but let it go when White sat on the end of the bed near my feet and smiled.

"The doctor said you're going to be okay now thanks to Red's blood!" The brunette told me happily.

Said boy looked at me then. "Yeah, how did you even know my blood type?"

Silver perked up across the room, and I giggled. "I can't tell you all my secrets, now can I?" Besides, I didn't want to get busted for going through everyone's medical records. But sometimes it was a good thing that I had—especially now.

The red-eyed boy only pouted more, and Black watched him amused. Silver rolled his eyes, and White got off the bed to lean over me and observe my back. Grazing her fingers over the thick bandage, she pulled back sharply when I flinched at the light pressure.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed, bowing her head.

"No, it's okay," I smiled at her, the slight pain quickly going away. "It's not that bad, really. I think I got bruised, too."

"The doctor said they had to sew up one of the gashes so that might be it," Silver provided with a concerned glance at my back.

I shrugged my shoulder and sighed at the light sharpness of the wound. "Man, that Fearow was vicious!"

Silver rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Next time, just let me take the hit."

My face scrunched up lightly. "But then you would have been on this bed, and I would've been worried like crazy!"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? But you think it's fair to make everyone else?"

They all nodded, and I let out another sigh. "Well excuse me for taking the initiative to look out for you." Turning to the two brunettes, I titled my head against the pillow. "Did you guys get hurt, too?"

They shook their heads, and Black smiled. "Nope! It was all thanks to your Nidoqueen that I didn't go splat!"

Red smirked with a chuckle at me. "Looks like you were saving everybody."

I laughed back. "You and Green were the ones who got Yellow safely here!"

"Nooooo," he said with a finger waggle. "You're the one who gave us Abra which helped us get here! Plus! You knocked out Melany, her dude, and Amber in one shot, ultimately saving Green, me, _and_ White!"

I mock-frowned and stuffed my face in the pillow. I said something incoherent through its white fluffiness, and the red-eyed boy chuckled. "What was that?"

Lifting my head slowly, I stared at him with narrowed eyes. "You're making it so hard to be humble."

My statement made him laugh all the harder, and I rolled my eyes as Black suddenly turned to White.

"Hey, I never did ask. What did the Director call you about?" He inquired curiously.

The amused smile that had been on her face slowly melted as she looked down at the Xtransceiver on her wrist. "He, uh, had some news for me."

Black tilted his head and got up to walk over to her. "What kind of news?"

She looked up at him before hanging her head slightly with closed eyes. "We need to go back to Unova."

Silver and Red's eyes widened along with mine, and Black's jaw dropped open a little.

"W-what do you mean we have to go back?" The brunette asked alarmed.

The girl opened her eyes and glanced back up at him solemnly. "Our one month leave is up. We have to go back to work or things will get out of hand."

Black kept making a move to say something, but nothing would come out of his mouth.

Silver's eyebrows were creased in slight confusion. "One month leave?"

White turned to him and nodded. "The BW Agency was quite busy when we left so we had to set a time for when we returned so things could stay on schedule." She bit her lip and looked back at her Xtransceiver. "And that date is tomorrow."

I lifted myself into a sitting position and tilted my head puzzled. "Well, that's alright. One of us can run you to Vermillion City tomorrow morning. They've got an airport there along with the shipyard."

Red and Silver whipped around at me like I was crazy.

"Are you insane?!" The red-eyed boy shouted. "We're trying to hide out right now! We have no idea where Melany and Amber are, and if we go to Vermillion, they could follow us back here!"

"But how do we even know that they're anywhere near Fuchsia or Vermillion City?" I countered back, feeling my anger start to rise.

"It's too risky," Silver said shortly, his voice low and stern.

"That doesn't matter!" I yelled at them. "We can't ask them to throw away their own lives just because things are getting difficult here!"

Red bit back a retort and turned ruefully to the two brunettes beside him. "I know that, but there's a chance that you guys could get followed all the way to Unova and get hurt, too."

Black nodded reluctantly, but White only looked hopelessly out the window. "If that's the case, then we'll never be able to go back home until this is all over."

I set my jaw and carefully pushed myself off the bed, my feet landing on the ground harshly. They all turned to me in surprise as I reached for my hat and shirt on the night stand and started putting it over my torso and chest that was completely wrapped up in bandaging.

"If you guys won't take them, then I will!"

Silver rushed over and grabbed my shirt before I could get myself completely into it. "Blue!"

Red did the same and snatched the white hat from me. "You just got a transfusion! You shouldn't even think about moving until tomorrow!"

"Well, seeing as how you guys aren't going to do anything, I don't have any other choice!" I yelled back at them, ripping my hat out of Red's hands and shirt from Silver's. "It's not fair to keep them here when it's our problem anyways!"

"Hey."

The three of us stopped our arguing to see Black pulling out his Pokedex and smiling at us.

"You can't say that this isn't our problem, too. We're the new Dex Holders. That makes us a part of the team now."

White shrugged sheepishly and brought out her Eevee's Pokeball. "And I know I don't have a Pokedex, but you're helping me to become a better trainer so that makes me a part of this, too."

The room was silent a minute, the two's heartfelt commitment making my eyes water until I had no other choice but to slowly walk forward and hug them both.

"Thanks guys," I said behind their shoulders. "But going back to Unova is probably the best for you two. You'll be able to get back to your Agency, and it'll keep you both safe."

"But, Blue…" White started to say before I pulled back and shook my head.

"It's for the best," I said gently. "Come on. I'll take you guys now."

I started for the door, and Red and Silver were on my tail until all three of us caught sight of Green standing in the doorway, one hand holding a juice box and the other a cookie. I had a feeling they were for me, but I didn't take them, staying there in front of him as he blocked my way out. His deep green eyes bored into mine, but I stood my ground, glaring back at him as he did the same to me. After a minute, he closed his eyes and shook his head barely.

"No."

I narrowed my eyes. "You were standing there the whole time weren't you?"

He did the same. "You're staying here."

I raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Oh? So you're going to take them to Vermillion?"

He bared his teeth lightly and walked forward, causing me to step back into the room so that he could close the door behind him. "No. I'm sorry to say it, but Red and Silver are right. It's a risk that we can't take."

I threw my hands in the air and huffed angrily. "Are you kidding me?! It's a risk that we have to take! Don't you remember that we have no way of getting this information to Professor Oak?! He's all the way in Unova, and we can't use the videophones because Melany can track them!"

"And since we have to go back anyway, we can tell him for you!" Black said with a smile, understanding now dawning in his eyes.

I nodded at him and turned stiffly to Green. "See?"

Nevertheless, the stoic brunette set down the juice box and cookie on the nightstand, crossing his arms. "I agree that Gramps should know about this, but that still doesn't make it important enough for us to chance getting found again!"

"Yes it does!" I yelled at him, thrusting my face in his.

He sighed heatedly and turned to the others. "Would you mind giving us a minute? Although I think it might take longer."

Red and Silver nodded, taking Black and White out of the room to check out a place to stay the night. When the door shut behind them, he whipped around to me and clenched his fists. "What do you think you're doing?!"

I set my jaw. "I'm just trying to keep everyone as safe as I can!"

"Everyone but yourself!" He shouted at me, taking my shirt and hat from me and setting them on the bed. "Look!"

He dragged me by the wrist over to a mirror that was hanging on the other side of the room. Turning me around, he forced me to see the huge red stain on the backside of the bandage, silhouetting the three gashes that lay beneath it.

"Don't you see what you're doing to yourself?" He said heatedly behind my ear, his eyes raking the wound on my back in the mirror as I arched my neck over my shoulder to do the same.

I shook my head hesitantly. "I-It's just a scratch."

Green lost his cool and almost exploded. "Blue! You don't need blood transfusions for a scratch!"

I turned away and hung my head, the tips of my hair just inches away from his black jacket. "Well, I'm sorry, but if this is what happens, then that's fine. I'm going to do my best to save Yellow from whatever Melany and Amber are planning." I looked up at him firmly. "Even if that means giving up my life."

And that was the honest to Arceus truth. I was going to fight for Yellow with my life just as much as Red would. She was the little sister that I never had. More than that, she was my best friend. And even if that meant something like jumping in front of a train for her, then that was what I would do.

Green stared at me with his wide eyes for a long time, finally closing them and hanging his head with bared teeth. His bangs fell over his eyes, and I watched him as he started to shake lightly. Suddenly, he gently picked me up lightning fast, ignoring my protestant kicks and squirms. Depositing me on the bed, he put my clothes back on the nightstand and wrapped me up in the blanket, tucking the ends into the mattress so it would hold me down for a little bit.

"What are you doing?!" I asked him with surprised rage, wriggling beneath the tight sheets.

He finished putting my clothes in my bag and turned to me after a second, a small smile on his face. Slowly bending down, I froze in shock as he kissed me on the forehead. I felt him smirk as he pulled away, but I was paralyzed from surprise.

"Sorry," he said, but I could tell he didn't feel an ounce of regret. "I know how much you care about Yellow. We all do. But I won't let you die because of this."

My eyes widened as he started walking for the door, and I struggled all the harder. _He just had to stuff the entire length of the blanket under this dumb heavy mattress didn't he?!_

"Green!" I shouted as he opened the door. "Don't you dare!"

He simply smiled a little at me again before leaving and shutting it firmly behind him, an outside lock clicking in place. Letting out a breath of rage, I was finally able to get the sheets off and get myself off the bed. But as soon as my feet hit the ground, the strain from struggling finally struck home, and I winced as my back burned again. It wasn't as bad as when we'd first come in, but it still hurt a little. I suppose I should've been thanking those painkillers and that transfusion about now, but at the moment, all I could think about was punching that boy in the face.

I had to get out of here. Black and White were supposed to leave for Unova tomorrow and I didn't have that much time to figure out a way to get past the others and take them to Vermillion City.

Turning to look out the window at the setting sun, my eye caught the yellow bag sitting on the nightstand, and a smile slowly crept across my face. Never leave me alone with my bag. You never know what's inside it.

Digging through the contents, I smiled even wider when I pulled out my lock-picking kit and portable laptop. Hiding the kit beneath my pillow, I turned on the bedside lamp as the room started falling into the twilight claiming the land outside. It was too late to think about going to Vermillion tonight so I decided to get the tickets all ready to go so that I could just send them off tomorrow without having to worry about that.

An hour later, I smugly closed the laptop and put it back in my bag. The tickets hadn't been too expensive, and thankfully were online so we could print them off at the airport tomorrow. Taking out the lock picks from beneath my pillow, I took my favorite one and stealthily crept over to the door. I kept an ear on the panel to make sure no one was coming and started away at the knob. I was about halfway through when footsteps sounded outside, and I sprang back to the bed with wide eyes. I had just gotten the covers back on when the lock undid itself, and someone walked in.

The person's footsteps were light on the linoleum, stopping just at the side of the bed near my head. I forced myself to breath softly so it would look like I was sleeping and almost stiffened when I felt the person straighten the blankets on me.

"I'm sorry," Green said softly, his hand resting lightly on the ends of my hair once he'd finished fixing the sheets. "But I won't lose you."

My heart twisted at his words, but I refused to move, waiting until he'd left and relocked the room to slowly sit up and look at the door. After a minute, I laid back down and closed my eyes, biting my lip. As I drifted off to sleep, one thought kept nagging me at the back of my mind.

_Why is he so afraid of losing me?_

* * *

"What?! You mean, we really are going?"

I nodded at Black's question, ducking behind the couch pressed against the wall as someone walked by. White sat beside him, and her eyes were just as big as his. It'd taken me a little bit, but I'd finally been able to break out of my room late this morning and sneak through the Pokemon Center until finding the two out here in the lobby.

"But Blue, we didn't even buy tickets," she said softly, trying to act like she wasn't talking to the back of the couch.

I shook my head. "I already did."

Her eyes grew slightly wider. "Oh Blue!"

I waved a hand at her, my head slowly creeping back over the top of the cushion. "Don't worry about it. We've just got to find a way to get out of here undetected."

"Well," Black thought with a finger on his chin. "White and I were considering going to see the Safari Zone…"

"That's perfect!" I exclaimed quietly. "Just tell Green and the others that, and we'll be able to go to Vermillion without them knowing!"

"But what about you?" White said with creased eyebrows. "Won't they realize you got out?"

I shook my head again and ducked as Green suddenly walked out into the lobby. "I relocked the door and stuffed some extra pillows under the blanket to make it look like me. It should buy us enough time to get you guys on that plane. There he is! Now go!"

They nodded and quickly got up, walking over to the green-eyed brunette and asking if they could go out. After a few seconds, he reluctantly agreed, causing the two to smile and thank him before heading for the front doors.

"Just be careful!" He called after them.

They nodded and exited the building. Green sighed and shook his head before going up to the front desk and giving Nurse Joy his Pokemon to heal. Taking this opportunity, I raced for the front doors and got out onto the sidewalk before anyone could see me. Black and White were waiting for me farther down the street, and I quickly caught up with them, steering them towards the east side of town.

"There's no direct route to Vermillion from here, but the fastest way would be to take Route 15," I explained as we swiftly made our way out of town.

"Won't that take a while, though?" Black asked worried, looking up at the sun to guess that it was already early afternoon.

"Well, flying is out of the question, but don't worry! The plane doesn't leave until this evening so we should be able to make it on time by foot," I reassured him.

White glanced at me as we got out onto the route and started running. "Thanks, Blue."

I looked back at her and nodded with a smile. "Just make sure to get the news to Professor Oak."

She nodded back, and Black sighed. "I feel kinda bad leaving at a time like this. So try to keep us updated, okay?"

I smiled again and gave a short laugh. "I'm sure I could send you some letters safely."

He laughed too, content that they wouldn't be left out on what was to happen. White nodded in agreement, and the three of us gradually fell into silence. I watched them sadly as the time slowly slipped away, knowing I was going to miss them when they left on that plane later today. But this was for the best. They would be safe, and Professor Oak would finally know what was going on here in Kanto.

Even so, something similar to foreboding was tugging at my thoughts as we dashed along the dock pathways that were sprawled across Route 15. My eyebrows scrunched. Almost like a warning…

* * *

I stared at the door in front of me with narrowed green eyes.

There was no noise.

No person slamming on it or screaming to be let out.

And it was already three in the afternoon.

My hand went for the outside lock on the door, and I flipped it in reverse. I'd come in a bit before noon to give Blue some lunch and found her form still sleeping under the covers. Not wanting to disturb her, I was in and out as fast and quietly as I could, but it was later in the day now, and I still hadn't heard any protests from her.

The door swung open slowly as I walked in and saw her still in bed. Eyes still narrowed, I walked over and leaned over the bedrail.

"Blue, wake up," I said sternly. When she didn't move, I sighed and face-palmed. "Look. I'm sorry that you're upset, but I just can't let something unnecessary happen."

She still didn't make any motion, and I pulled my hand away from my face, using it to poke her in the shoulder. As my finger made contact, it sunk into her body a little, and I jerked back in surprise before narrowing my eyes again.

_Why would she be so squishy…_

My eyes widened as I realized something and ripped the sheets off in horror to find a pile of pillows instead of a certain blue-eyed brunette. Throwing the blankets back down, I raced out of the room towards the one housing Red and Yellow. Barging into the room, I panted as the black-haired boy looked up from Yellow's unconscious form.

"Green! What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost," he commented with a tilted head.

I quickly walked over to him and grit my teeth. "Blue's gone."

Red blinked a moment before sighing heatedly under his breath and standing up. "Where are Black and White?"

"They asked me if they could go to…" I paused and almost growled when I realized why they had asked to go to the Safari Zone. "They're with Blue."

Red sucked in a breath and grabbed the back of his hair beneath his cap. "Well we have to go after them!"

I closed my eyes and held the bridge of my nose in my hand. "No, I'll go. You and Silver stay here and watch Yellow."

He scrunched his eyebrows. "You sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It'll make it easier to fly without getting noticed. Where's Silver?"

"Getting a snack," Red answered, looking out the window at the sun's position. "Do you think you can catch up to them in time?"

I joined him at the window and took in the late afternoon sky. "I don't know. But either way, I'm bringing someone back."

Red chuckled to himself. "You're so protective of her."

A faint blush painted itself across my cheeks, but I only sighed. "You have no idea."

He gave me a smile before pushing my figure towards the door. "Well, you better hurry if you want to beat them there!"

I turned to give him a nod over my shoulder before my feet started running, and I aimed for the front door. It didn't take long until I was outside, taking out Charizard's Pokeball and releasing the Fire type. Soon I was on his back, cautiously flying through the cloud barrier to the northeast, no amount of words able to describe what I was feeling as I got closer to Vermillion and hopefully the three brunettes that would be there when I arrived.

* * *

"Alright! Here's your tickets!"

Black and White said nothing as I handed them the two slips of paper that would grant them access onto the plane.

"Don't worry!" I declared with a wink. "We'll send your stuff that you left in Viridian over as soon as we can!"

Still they said nothing, and I frowned sadly as we started walking towards the terminal headed for Unova.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to say, thank you," I told them as we slowly made our way down the long hallway of chairs and entrances. They turned to me with tilted heads, and I smiled at them. "The circumstances under which we first met probably weren't the best, but still. You helped us protect Yellow as much as you could, and that's all we could've ever asked for. So thank you."

We stopped at their terminal at the end of the wide passageway, and White's eyes started growing shiny. "No, Blue. It's us who should be thanking you."

Black nodded solemnly. "Yeah, even though we were new to the Dex Holders, you welcomed us graciously anyways."

White turned away slightly but pulled out the Pokeball with her Eevee. "And without you, I would have never caught Yang. It's thanks to you that I have a Pokemon again."

I could feel my eyes growing warm and gave a smile sniffle. White did the same and rushed forward to crush me in a big hug.

"Stay safe, okay?" She choked out.

I nodded shakily. "You, too."

She pulled away only to be replaced by Black who also gave me a quick hug.

"Try to stay in touch," he said softly. I could see he was having trouble keeping his cool, too, and laughed.

"I will," I reassured him with a cracking voice. "I promise."

The intercom went off then, shouting the departure of their plane, and Black smiled sadly. Waving at me, he turned to White, and she nodded slowly, blue eyes tinged with red as she followed him to the entrance gate. I walked after them, stopping at the counter when I was allowed no further. Black gave their tickets to the flight attendant and gave me another smile good-bye before disappearing down the make-shift tunnel.

White was right after him, but right before she disappeared around the corner, she turned back to me with teary eyes.

"I'm serious Blue. Stay safe," she said sternly through her shaky voice. She wiped at her eyes and sighed with a smile. "Everyone really cares about you. Especially Green."

My eyes widened, and I stuttered at the slight blush creeping across my cheeks. "Y-you don't know that!"

She chuckled through her tears a little and waved. "Remember; I know when someone's acting and when they're not." She smiled with closed eyes. "Send us a letter soon!"

My mouth still hung open a little as she vanished into the tunnel, leaving me speechless at the front of the gate. I soon moved out of the way for the other passengers, my feet gradually carrying me to the window where I looked out at the plane. I stared at the giant mechanism until its engines started up a while, and it slowly started down the runway.

I could feel more tears in my eyes as its landing gear left the ground, and Black and White finally began their trip home. Wiping at my face, I forced myself to start heading back for the lobby, taking time to thoroughly check for Melany or Amber.

_ This isn't the last time I'll see them. We'll meet up again once Melany has been taken care of. _I smiled determinedly. _When Yellow is awake and safe again. _

Green

My breath was coming in quick gasps as I sprinted through the crowds filling the airport's large hallways. It was about four now, and if I had any luck today, I could catch Black and White and Blue. It's not that I didn't want them to go home. I just didn't want to take a chance that Melany might send one of her guys after them all the way to Unova. They would never know it until it was too late and something bad happened, and by then, we'd be too far away to do anything.

I entered the gateway and looked up at the board for departures. Seeing Unova next to the one stationed at the end of the hall, I ran as fast as my feet would carry me, skidding to a halt a minute later before I could crash into the registration desk.

"The plane to Unova!" I shouted out, completely out of breath. "When does it leave?!"

The blonde flight attendant held her hands up cautiously. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down."

Taking a breath, I managed to lower my voice enough until it was almost normal again. "The Unova flight?"

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "But it just left about twenty minutes ago."

I said nothing, just staring down at the desk in front of me as I realized that I was too late.

"Sir?" The lady asked worriedly.

Without a word, I turned around and started back for the front of the building. People saw my steaming aura and moved out of the way without question, allowing me to get back outside in ten minutes flat. I waited until I was out in the parking lot to release Charizard, and when I did, I headed straight for Fuchsia.

I decided that I wasn't going to chase Blue there and confront her along the way. Oh no. I'd be there waiting for her. Waiting for her to try and explain herself before I went off on her again. My anger already starting to build, I urged Charizard to go faster so that we could get there first and watched the trees fly by below.

But as we zoomed through the clouds back to Fuchsia, I had no idea that that was the worst decision I could have possibly made then.

Blue

Seeing a Charizard fly by overhead through the treetops, I sweatdropped and let myself slow down to a walk. There was no use in trying to get back to the Pokemon Center as quick as I could now. Green was already going to be there waiting when I arrived.

Sighing at the verbal abuse I was most likely going to have to endure when I got there, I strolled pleasantly through the woods and along the wooden dockways on the route, smiling to myself despite the scolding I was going to receive here soon. Black and White were safely on their way home, and I had watched them off. There was no way Melany and her guys could have followed them.

The sky gradually turned to a darker yellow as late afternoon arrived, and I made it back to the outskirts of town. The trip to Vermillion had probably taken a good two hours just to get there so another two back was not making me feel good. My back was starting to burn, and I could feel myself going weaker from the blood transfusion. I should've been in bed right now healing, but getting Black and White to the airport was more important than a little light-headedness.

And it was because of that light-headedness that I thought I was hallucinating when I turned the corner down a street and saw two figures a good jog ahead. There was nobody else out on the sidewalks at this time so the two stood out like a sore thumb. But what really made my eyes widen and my body freeze was the sight of their black shirts—one rimmed with gold and one without.

Not thinking about what more strain to myself would do, I started running, a frown already growing on my face. I could make out Melany's blonde hair and Amber's black even from this far away, and even as weak as I was, I wasn't going to let them get away. I was going to make them tell me how to wake Yellow up—And I was going to do it now.

They suddenly turned down what I thought to be an alley somewhere up ahead, and, panting, I forced myself to go faster. If I lost them here, there was no way I was going to find them again.

When I finally made it to where they had branched off, the sun was setting, and my eyes widened in shock at what I found waiting for me in the alley.

Melany had a gun raised at Amber, her finger pulling the trigger before I could even gasp. Thank Arceus he was able to dodge, but my mouth hung open in horror when she kept firing rounds at him all around the alley.

I rushed forward to go in and protect him. It didn't matter that Amber was the enemy now—he was Red's brother and I was going to help him.

However, as soon as I took a step forward, I hit something hard and fell backwards. Wearily clutching my head, I looked up to see Melany's Heracross which I'd fought back at Yellow's house using Protect to block off the entryway.

Baring my teeth, I got up and brought Blasty out, immediately telling him to use Water Gun on the force field. As the move hit, the Heracross was pushed back by its force but managed to keep its Protect going. Telling Blasty to up the power, I didn't see what was happening on the other side of the barrier. I didn't see the tiny stray bullets getting shattered by the Protect move.

So naturally, I didn't see the one bullet that flew out as Blasty finally broke through the force field.

The one bullet that didn't have any Protect move to shatter against.

The one bullet that found a target to sink into.

And a second after, I collapsed with a loud cry that echoed through the empty streets.

* * *

I watched the setting sun out the window, wondering when Green was going to be back with Blue and hopefully Black and White. Seeing the darkening sky, I gave a sigh and sat back down next to Yellow.

The door opened suddenly, and Silver walked in with a blanket and pillow.

"Here, Red," he said, simply handing me the fluffy pile. "I had a feeling you were going to sleep in here with Yellow again tonight."

I smiled sheepishly and hid the crimson that was quickly filling my face. "Thanks."

He nodded as I placed the pillow on the back of the chair and covered up with the blanket. "Has Green come back yet?"

I shook my head and sighed. "No. But he should arrive any minute now. It's been a couple hours since he left."

The redhead nodded again and walked back towards the door. "Well, tell him to come get me when he does. I get to be the first one who yells at her."

I smirked at his aggressive worry and gazed after him as he left, gently closing the door behind him. Settling my head against the back of the seat, I watched Yellow with soft eyes and a small frown.

"When are you going to wake up?" I said quietly, knowing she wasn't going to respond just like she hadn't the other times I'd asked her the same thing.

Of course, she didn't say anything, and I sighed silently before closing my eyes and going to sleep.

But if I'd only just kept them open and watched her for a while longer, I would've seen the light twitch of her hand and the opening of her fear-filled eyes that soon followed.

* * *

Gardevoir: *huff* Would you get off of me?!

Me: Admit it! You like hugs!

Gardevoir: No! *breaks free and dusts off shoulders* Not from you anyway.

Me: Uh! Offense!

Gardevoir: *shrugs still eating a candy cane*

Me: Hmph! And I even got you a present!

Gardevoir: *perks up* Really?

Me: *nods happily and produces a box with snowflake wrapping paper* I got it just for you!

Gardevoir: Wow, thanks! *rips open box and sweatdrops* *narrows eyes* I can't believe you still remember that.

Me: *laughs* Of course! I wanted to make sure I got you one! Even if it's, like, months late! Teehee!

Gardevoir: *pulls out big blue fluffy crazy hat* I'm not wearing this!

Me: Yes you are! *grabs hat and stuffs it on Gardevoir's head*

Gardevoir: Hey! *tries to take hat off but it's stuck*

Me: Hehe! I used super-ultra-mega-tough-sticky-sticky glue!

Gardevoir: *growl*

Me: Haha! Love you too! Happy Birthday Silver! I hoped to give you readers the best possible present this Christmas...a conscious Yellow! ...even though it may not be under the best of circumstances...XD Review and return guys!

Merry Christmas! And may God watch over you this happy holiday!


	12. Chapter 12: The Great Awakening

Me: *raises a glass up punch* To New Years!

Max, Carlos, & Gardevoir: *do the same* To New Years!

Max: *looks at TV* Guys! The countdown's about to begin!

Carlos: *excited* Alright! Here we go! 10...9...8...

Max: 7...6...5...

Gardevoir: 4...3...2...

Me: 1!

Everybody: HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Me: Yes! Welcome 2013!

Max: Hey, did anyone else think this last year went by really fast?

Carlos: *flicks hand* Totally.

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop at Carlos* So what do we do now...*sees me staring at computer* What?

Me: *wide eyes* What. Have. I. Posted?

Gardevoir: Strange...**Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. Happy New Years guys!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Blue

Arceus, if looks could kill, Melany and Amber would have died at least a hundred times now.

Then again, I think I might have already.

I sucked in a breath as I lay on the alley floor, the world layered with a light red haze. Or at least what I could see when I was able to keep my eyes open for more than two seconds. I could feel my stomach growing warmer by the minute and watched with pain-squinted eyes as a river of blood started flowing out onto the pavement beneath me.

"So much for that transfusion," I managed to mutter through clenched teeth.

"Blue!"

I couldn't lift my head up to respond, but I gritted my teeth more when I heard the person's voice and sensed them running over and kneeling in front of me.

"Holy Ho-Oh," Amber breathed out at the sight of my pain-wracked form. "What are you doing here?!"

"What…the hell…are you asking _me_ that for?!" I exploded at him through the red haze. "She was just trying to _shoot_ you for Entei's sake!"

"Shoot me…" he trailed off before shaking his head. "No, you've got it wrong! I-I have a fear of guns…so Melany's been helping me to get rid of it!"

I clenched my teeth as another wrack of pain suddenly washed over me. "In an alley?!"

Amber nodded a bit hesitantly before slowly approaching my bullet wound. I tensed in response, but at the worried look in his soft orange-gold eyes, I loosened myself up and cautiously let him examine it. He touched the bleeding skin for only a second before I recoiled sharply and he pulled back.

"We need to get her to a hospital, Melany," he said quickly with a hint of fear in his voice.

The blonde swiftly walked over and knelt down beside him. Her deep blue eyes bored into my lighter ones, and she could tell I was struggling to stay conscious.

"The hospital's too far away," she whispered lowly, watching as the river of blood continued to pool around me.

"Then what are we going to do?!" He turned to her with hard eyes. "I don't care who we're working for! We're not just going to leave her here!"

"I know, okay?!" She snapped at him, surprising both him and me even as I writhed in pain. "I would never leave her to die!"

Amber's eyes widened sharply, and I managed to open my own and stare at her in shock.

She ignored both of us and gave a huff, slamming the gun into Amber's hands. "Go watch the entrance. Make sure no one comes in here."

He stared at the mechanism in his hands a moment before setting his face and nodding. As soon as he was positioned beside her Heracross, her eyes flew to my face, and I could plainly see the fear in them.

"Okay," she said softly, putting me on back from my side. "We have to get the bullet out before anything."

I coughed a little and struggled to talk. "But…won't that…make it bleed…more?"

Melany shook her head adamantly and brought out her Venomoth. "Don't worry about that. Now, this might sting a little, but you've got to hang in here with me, okay?"

I froze at the strange yet familiar normal tone of her voice. Even battered as I was, I knew I had heard that voice before. It was like when I fought with her outside Yellow's house. I knew those moves then, and I knew this voice now. Arceus, but from _where_?!

My thoughts were cut off as a burning pain suddenly struck my stomach, and I gave out a sharp cry. Sucking in breath, I opened my closed eyes to see the Venomoth carefully maneuvering its needle thin claws into my wound to extract the bullet. I clenched my teeth and fought to keep the wave of blackness from washing over and taking me with it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of flames, the claws retracted and brought with them a small silver object that Melany immediately threw into a nearby dumpster with unconcealed anger. Putting her Pokemon away, she quickly turned back to me and saw that I was about to pass out from the pain and blood loss.

"It's going to be okay, Blue," she reassured me with a set face. My eyes were starting to droop now so I strained my ears to make up for what I couldn't see.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay? I promise."

My eyes shot open. Those words. I knew those words too. Every. Single. One.

I was able to push back the ever-pressing wall of darkness just enough to ask one last thing.

"W-who…are you? For real."

I narrowed my eyes, but that little motion was the breaking point, and they slammed shut. The world was becoming a spiraling vortex of nothing, and I managed to catch her last whisper before I hit the bottom of it.

"An old friend, Blue. A very old friend."

* * *

Amber was obediently watching the street like Melany had asked him too, but the tense atmosphere was proving too much for him, and finally, he couldn't take it anymore and turned back around.

Blue was no longer conscious, her eyes shut tight beneath her perspiring forehead as Melany pulled back her hand from where it had been resting on the brunette's abdomen. Rushing over, he knelt back down beside her, paying no mind to the blood seeping into his already dark jeans. An eye scanning her stomach to check on the injury, he froze when he realized it wasn't there.

"W-What happened to the wound?!" He asked in disbelief. The blonde beside him said nothing, and he stared at her from the side. "Melany! What did you do?"

She only kept her eyes trained on the girl in front of her before giving a sigh and hanging her head a little. "I think she'll be okay. She did lose a lot of blood, though." Bringing her head back up, she looked up at the sky with wide eyes. "But this is a good thing."

Amber almost smacked her from frustration. "How is shooting her a good thing?!"

Melany held a finger at him to be quiet. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, the tension growing every moment that passed as he waited for something to happen.

In the next second, a certain blond-haired girl slammed down at the entrance to the alley from the sky and answered his question.

His eyes became the size of Pokeballs, and he was only able to get one word out of his mouth.

"Yellow?!"

* * *

The Pokegear in my pocket rang, and I held onto Charizard with one hand and scooped it with the other as we made our way back to Fuchsia City from the airport, the setting sun turning to dark orange behind us. We'd run into a channel of high winds on the way and had to detour to Celadon and follow the bike trail back so I had no doubt that Blue had already reached the Pokemon Center by now.

"Green?" came Silver's voice from the other line as I hit the answer button. "Where are you? It's been a couple hours since you left. Did you catch Blue and the others?"

I clenched my teeth. "No. They're on their way back to Unova, and Blue should be getting back to the Pokemon Center any minute now. I'm just getting near the city limits now."

I sensed him nodding. "Okay. Red just laid down for the night a little bit ago so I'll stay up and wait for her."

"Well, don't do anything until I get there," I told him. "I get to be the first one to yell at her."

Silver chuckled. "I believe I've already called dibs on that."

I smirked to myself. "Anything happen over there while I was gone?"

"No. I was about to go check on Yellow though just in case—"

I paused and raised an eyebrow as he suddenly went quiet, and I heard nothing from the other end of the line. "Silver?"

I went from being still to completely frozen as his voice suddenly sounded, high and fearful.

"Red! Wake up!"

I could faintly hear the black-haired boy's response through the phone.

"What is it, Silver?" His voice cut off after that before coming back just as sharp as the redhead's had been. "What happened?!"

"I don't know!" Silver shouted frantically at him. "Come on!"

"Hey!" I yelled at them. "What's going on?!"

Unfortunately, whatever was happening there at the Pokemon Center must have been urgent for the line went dead, and I was cut off.

Taking the Pokegear from my ear, I looked at the nearing buildings in the distance and urged Charizard to go faster. Something was wrong. I just knew it.

As we got closer to the city, Charizard suddenly stopped and gave a loud roar.

"What is it?" I asked him with impatient curiosity, wanting to get to the Pokemon Center yet wondering why he had stopped flying.

Still flapping his wings, he blew a Flamethrower in the direction of the city, and I squinted my eyes to try and find what he was gesturing at. The buildings were too far away for me to see anything clearly, and I gave up after a minute of searching.

"I can't see anything," I sighed at him.

He was persistent though and fired off another Flamethrower. Giving another sigh, I strained my eyes further.

And then I saw it.

Right above the city.

There was somebody hanging from a Butterfree, their flowing white dress whipping around in the wind. Suddenly, they darted down towards the city, and I gasped.

"Yellow?!"

Yellow

_There was nothing around me, but darkness. _

_ Deep, black, oppressing darkness. _

_ I had no idea where I was or what was going on. I couldn't sense anyone or anything else here with me. _

_ It was just this dark nothingness. _

_ I tried to say something, but voice wouldn't obey. Or rather it couldn't. And neither could my muscles as I tried to lift a hand. When they wouldn't do anything, I looked around to find that I was just floating in this dark world, unable to move or speak. There was no sense of the time passing here so I just stayed there, watching the swirling darkness with wide wondering eyes. _

_ It appeared as though time and space were both absent in this strange place, and it once occurred to me that I should be trying to find a way out. But the thought was quickly whisked away along with anything else in my head. It was as if this darkness not only wanted to keep me from moving but also thinking. It streamed over my mind like a soothing stream, washing away any thoughts that might have been there. _

_But throughout this motionless, thoughtless state, I was still there, my consciousness trapped by the dark river that was reprimanding my body of any activity. I fought against its overwhelming power, but my efforts would soon turn to vain as it would flood over me again and rid any thought of protest until I could muster up the strength to bring it back to mind. _

_This hopeless game seemed to last a lifetime, but then again, I had no idea how long I floated there fighting the darkness as there was no time to speak of here. At one point, I finally gave up and gave into its power, sentencing myself to a world of stillness. My consciousness sat there in my motionless body, watching nothing and listening to the silence with an air of hope that something would break me out of this dark prison. _

_After waiting for another lifetime, though, even that hope gradually faded. _

_My mind and body slowly became numb to the point where I couldn't even tell that I was there anymore. This became the normal for me, what I had come to expect would last forever. _

_But then something did happen. _

_My mind sprang out of the dark river at it like a Magikarp jumping from a stream, waiting in silence for whatever had just awoken me to appear again. After what felt like a second, I felt it come back. _

_At first, it was just a warm feeling in my hand, as if someone was holding it. And as if that touch were the signal, the rest of my body awakened to join my mind. Flexing my fingers and feeling the sensation of them touching my palms felt so strange after such a long time of nothing, but I smiled in relish at the realization that I was in control of myself again. _

_Then came the second sign of my awakening. I clicked my tongue as a strange taste of Cheri Berries and mint washed over it, telling me that all of my senses really had come back. It was a peculiar taste, but I soon forgot about it as a wave of worry crashed down on me, wiping out every other emotion. This feeling of concern was all there was. _

_And so I floated there in shock, my hand still warm, my tongue still tingling with the taste of berries and mint, and wrapped around it all, the worry that wormed its way through me and made me shut my eyes in protest. It was filling me to the point that I thought I might break down in an anxiety attack. _

_Strange enough, though, it reminded me of the last scene I remembered before coming to this dark world. _

_As quick as it had come, the taste and overwhelming worry left in a flash although the warmth in my hand remained. And as if bringing my memory to life, I was suddenly whisked away to the field where Amber had confessed to me that he wasn't exactly who he had seemed. _

_His arms wrapped around me, and I fell into the same action I had when it had happened the first time. I held onto him with a tight grip, and my tears rolled onto his shoulder. _

"_I'm so sorry," he whispered through a choked voice into my ear. _

_There was no fluttering feeling on my shoulders this time, but his arms did tighten around me like before. _

"_I-I just have to save her," he cried out, a tear running down his cheek. _

_Suddenly, I was ripped from his arms as the darkness reached out and grabbed hold of him. I screamed and tried to pull him back, but it was too fast, and my fingers missed him by a hair. The field fell away around me as he disappeared into the blackness, and I was left floating again, trembling at his words. The taste of Cheri Berries returned to my tongue, but this time it was tinged with the bitter scent of ferns instead of mint and brought along with it a flood of misery that poured through my mind and would have made me collapse had there been a solid ground under my feet. _

_Finally, it was too much. I closed my eyes and screamed the first words since I had entered this foreboding direction. _

"_Her who?!"_

_There was a bright flash, and suddenly the world turned from night black to stark white. _

_Tears started falling from the corners of my eyes, but I did nothing to stop them. _

"_Her who?!" I screamed again. "Her who?!"_

"_Yellow!"_

_I paused a second at the voice before going back to shrieking the same two words over and over. It was as familiar as the back of my hand, but nothing was registering in my mind but the sorrow._

_Suddenly, the warmth in my hand spread all around me, enveloping my form and bringing back the taste of mint to replace the ferns with the still-present Cheri Berries. And as if the sun were breaking through a blanket of clouds in the sky, I was filled with a sense of calm and tenderness that chased away the gloominess of the misery. _

_I heard the voice's soothing tone, and gradually, my screams faded to whispers and eventually silence as I let its warmth calm my nerves. I looked up, and through the bright white all around me, I could almost make out a pair of red eyes shadowed by black bangs watching me. However, before I could say or do anything, the darkness took my moment of quiet and peace as an opportunity to strike down again. _

_Taken completely unaware, the face and white light disappeared in a screen of darkness, and the black river gushed through my mind, wiping away any train of thought and restricting my movements so that I was only floating in space again. The taste of Cheri Berries and mint dissipated from my tongue, and the calming feeling was washed away to be replaced by empty black. The warmth surrounding my body only lasted another second longer until it faded of its own accord, and I was back to being a mindless body suspended in darkness. _

_My consciousness fought against the tide once more, but it was as futile as the last time. Eventually, I caved in again and returned to my previous state of dormancy. _

_But it was right then that something else shocked me back into control of myself. Grabbing onto it before the darkness could take over again, I closed my eyes and concentrated as hard as I could to identify what it was that woke me up this time around. As if in response to my intense concentration, another taste swept across my tongue, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise when I identified what it was. _

_It was a sensation that could only be identified as the ocean. It was salty like the air yet fresh like the taste of water. And like a wave on the shore, I was struck with a feeling of pain that penetrated my heart to its core, centering on the area near my belly. Looking down at it, I didn't find any wound or injury, but the pain was still real. And it hurt really bad. _

_As I clenched my teeth against the burn that had started in my insides, something suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't realized before. In that flash of white, I had seen a person's face. A _real _person's face. _

_Then it clicked. _

_I had accepted that misery before and fallen victim to it which had brought on that white light and the person's voice. _

_Setting my jaw, I quit fighting against the pain seizing my abdomen and relaxed myself into it. It hurt more, but I forced myself to take it. _

_And finally, the blinding flash came again. _

_I strained in pain to look up for those eyes again, but I couldn't find them. Beginning to panic, I whipped my head around for any sign of help and suddenly froze. Turning my head to the right, I realized that the ocean-like taste slowly got stronger on my tongue. I turned it the other way, and the taste softened in power. _

_My eyes widened in surprise, and I turned my entire body to the right, the taste growing stronger the farther I went. Following its trail as fast as my pain-wracked form would let me, I squinted my eyes as the light got harsher and let out a scream of pure agony as something like hot metal seemed to appear right in the middle of all the chaos going on inside me._

_That final touch of pain must have done the trick for the white started to fade along with the agonizing feeling in my stomach. The last thing I felt before one last flash went off was the shot of fear that streaked through me as I finally opened my eyes._

* * *

I took in a sharp breath and felt the cold sweat on my back as my eyes shot open. My breath was coming fast, and I quickly sat up. Quickly looking around, I saw that I was in a hospital room, Red sleeping softly in a chair by my bed. My eyes widened at the sight of him in the room with me alone. _Wasn't…wasn't he mad at me?_

I glanced frantically at the room again. And how had I gotten placed in a hospital?

Both thoughts were immediately forgotten when I swished my tongue.

The taste of the ocean was still there.

Automatically, my mind reached for it, and I could feel a small pain start in my stomach again but nowhere near as bad as before. Turning my head to see where the taste was stronger, I realized that it was telling me to go out the door. I got up before realizing that there was an IV tube stuck in my hand and carefully took it out without causing myself any problems.

Quietly setting my feet on the ground, my fast breathing soon came back as I snuck out the door past Red and found myself in the many hallways of a Pokemon Center. I swished my tongue again and choose the path that made the ocean taste burn stronger.

Following it, I swiftly made my way to the front doors and out onto the street, my white dress swishing around my feet that still wore the white heels Blue had lent me for White's party.

I almost gasped. What day was it?!

I was about to run for a newsstand, but felt the salty tang on my tongue again and shook the thought away to start running down its trail again. There was no time to waste. This strange event was trying to take me somewhere, and I had a feeling that there was something dreadful awaiting my arrival. The burning pain in my stomach only seemed to confirm it even more.

I hurried down the road in the inferred direction, letting out a huff of helplessness as the evening rush came to town and the streets were suddenly flooded with people heading home from work. The sudden entrance of extra people made it harder for me to move around so I pulled Kitty's Pokeball from a strap on my heel that I had latched it on and released the Butterfree.

He flitted around me in joy, causing me to raise an eyebrow but laugh as he nudged my face and let out a cry of happiness.

"Come on," I said as he took a hold of me. "We need to get up in the air."

He happily obliged, and soon enough we were swaying in the wind high above the city, me clicking my tongue and concentrating fiercely on finding the taste again as he flapped his wings. My heart started to speed up as I couldn't detect it, and my mind reached out farther and harder in search of it. Finally, I got a light trace of it coming from the left and directed Kitty where to fly.

We weaved among the city's tall buildings, gradually getting closer to the ground as the taste grew stronger. Suddenly, it stopped growing, and I had a feeling we had arrived. Looking down, I saw an alley between two apartments ahead and froze at what I found inside.

Blue was lying on the ground, a puddle of blood forming at her side where Melany was just taking away her hands. Amber sat beside her with a worried look on his face, and my eyes widened when I saw the gun in his hands.

My eyes flicked from the gun to Blue's unconscious form and back to the two beside her before narrowing in fury as I realized what they'd done. The pain in my stomach twisted sharply, and I gritted my teeth against it before angrily telling Kitty to land at the alley's entrance.

We touched down a second later, and I watched as Amber's face morphed into shock at the sight of my feet slamming down on the flat asphalt.

"Yellow?!"

I didn't respond, only keeping my face carefully calm and returning Kitty as Melany's Heracross sensed my anger and moved out of my way.

Amber got to his feet and rushed over to me. "Y-You're awake!"

I frowned. "No thanks to you."

The coldness in my voice froze him, and he stared at me with wide golden-orange eyes. "Y-Yellow, I—"

"Don't," I cut him off. There was a quiver in my voice that he didn't fail to notice, and I fought to keep myself from bursting into tears. His face softened at me, and he reached a hand out to which I took a step back. The hurt was plain in his eyes, and I closed my own when I felt the heat coming to them.

"Yellow," he said sadly. "I'm sorry."

My eyes opened slowly, and I saw that he was on the verge of tears like me.

But the gun still shone in his hands.

"H-How could you?" I whispered in disbelief before my voice escalated and I was yelling at him. "How could you shoot Blue?!"

His eyes widened in shock until he looked at his hand and quickly dropped the gun as if it were a hot potato. "N-No! That's not what happened!"

"Don't lie to me!" I shouted, my fists clenching on their own. "I'm tired of the lies, Amber! I-I can't take it anymore!"

"Yellow," he tried to reason with me as I pushed past him to Blue and knelt down beside her across from Melany who had been quietly watching our exchange. Her eyes were wide and blank as I locked my gaze with hers, and I found myself doing the same. Then I saw the pool of blood at her knees, and they narrowed.

"Get out," I said lowly, putting as much menace into my voice as I could—which was quite hard considering I was having trouble holding back tears. It came out more as a hiss but still had the same effect.

Melany silently stood up and walked around to where Amber was watching with glossy eyes of his own. As she passed by me, she bent over so that her lips were near my ear.

"Listen to the signs," she murmured, making me freeze. "Learn how to control them. I'll be waiting to help you."

My eyes widened, and her footsteps sounded as she returned her Heracross and walked out of the alley. I didn't move a muscle until I sensed Amber standing behind me.

Closing my eyes to hold back the ever-present warmth in them, I arose and faced him.

There was an uncomfortable silence between us until he broke it and stepped towards me.

"Yellow, I'm telling you. I didn't shoot Blue."

My breath hitched, and I opened my eyes. "That's not how it looked."

"I know," he said, his own breath catching. "And I know this is harder to believe, but it was an accident."

I bared my teeth as the first tear fell. "It was _not_ an accident."

His voice cracked. "Yes it was! Melany was trying to help me get over my fear of guns!"

My eyes widened. _Fear of guns_…I thought back to when I had first met him, and he'd explained his life story in Red's living room.

"A-Are we in Fuchsia City?" I asked quietly.

He nodded slowly, his own tear falling.

I bit my lip to the point of extricating blood and held back the urge to run into his arms.

This was the place where his father had died. Right in front of his eyes.

I forced myself to stay rooted to the spot, my shoulders trembling.

"Okay," I whispered. "But you need to tell me, Amber."

I walked forward until I was looking right up into his eyes. "Why are you doing this? Who are you trying to save?" My voice caught in my throat. "Who is she?"

His mouth opened, but no words came out. My fists clenched tighter.

"Amber."

He wouldn't meet my eyes.

"I…I can't tell you," he said, his cracking voice so soft I almost didn't hear it.

My tears started dripping off my chin. "I'm done with the lies, Amber."

He nodded sadly with a cry. "I know."

And then I couldn't take it anymore. I crashed forward into him and felt his arms wrap around me as we both cried. He was tearing me in two. I wished things weren't so complicated between us. It would've made everything simpler. And the fact that Red had been watching over me only made things that much more confusing. I thought he had moved on from me. Which made it easier for me to finally admit my feelings for Amber. But now…now I had no idea what I thought about either one of them.

My tears stained his gold-rimmed shirt, and his dotted my dress as we poured ourselves out to each other. In the midst of it all, the taste of Cheri Berries and fern suddenly sprang onto my tongue, and the misery from my dream came back just as strong as before. But I don't think I felt it as much because my own was enough of a match for it. As the minutes silently went by, I could sense a wanting to confess amidst all the sorrow. To confess everything and make all right with the world. But that want could not be met. The consequences were too dire.

This strange feeling made me cry all the harder because I had a good idea just who it was coming from. My arms tightened around him, and he held onto me like he would never let go. And I wished that he didn't have to.

But of course, he did.

Amber released his arms with great reluctance, his hands resting on my shoulders and making me look up at him.

"Wait for me."

I stared at him with wide, shiny eyes before closing them, another tear merging into the slowly drying river on my cheeks. One more made its way out as I felt him kiss me on the forehead and slowly pull away. I stood there in silence, letting the last of my tears fall off my chin. When I finally opened my eyes again, he was gone.

I looked up at the sky, wiping the corners of my eyes. I had no idea if I was going to fulfill his wish, but for the time being, I would wait. Maybe not for him, but I would wait.

Giving a small nod, my eyes flew to Blue's unconscious form, and I quickly knelt beside her. My eyes widened when I realized that the ocean on my tongue was strongest when I was near her. Remembering the emotions that always came with the tastes, I mentally reached out for the crisp sensation and stiffened when I felt the pain from before in my stomach. Where the blood from Blue was coming from.

The realization made me freeze, but I forced myself to forget about the taste, and as if in response, the ocean tang left my tongue and took with it the slight pain in my abdomen. There were no words to describe my amazement at this development, but I shook my head and lifted Blue's shirt to assess the damage.

There was already a bandage wrapped around her chest, leaving her belly exposed, but it was battered and dirty so I could tell that it was from a previous injury. Moving onto her stomach, I wiped away the blood covering it to look for the bullet wound, but as I continued to clear away the red, my eyes widened as I soon found that there was none.

Befuddled, I let my healing powers wash over her but stopped in shock when I realized that they couldn't do anything.

She was already healed inside.

Looking at all the blood around her, I found that irrevocably unbelievable, and my mind searched furiously for an answer, but I didn't have one. I had absolutely no idea how they'd done it, but Melany and Amber had somehow found a way to save Blue.

Something heavy touched down at the alley's entrance, and I whipped around to find Green returning his Charizard and hurrying over.

"Yellow!" He said shocked. "You're awake!" His eyes then found Blue's blood-smattered body, and the fear that entered his eyes was like the strike of a lightning bolt. "What happened?!"

"I-I'm not sure," I admitted weakly as his knees smacked down, and he instantly scooped her up. "Amber and Melany were doing something with a gun, and she accidentally got shot."

His eyes hardened. "Are you sure it was an accident?"

I froze, a decision wavering as if on a balance. After a minute of silence, I shook my head. "Yes."

He nodded sharply and stood up. "Come on. We have to get to the Pokemon Center now. She just had a transfusion, and now I suspect that it's all gone."

I quickly rose and followed him as he got out of the alley and started running down the street. "A transfusion?"

He nodded again. "You've got a lot to catch up on, Yellow."

I only blinked. "Wait. Why are we going to the Pokemon Center instead of the hospital?"

"That's where Red and Silver are," he told me as said building came into view ahead. "That must've been why they hung up on me earlier. They noticed you were gone."

I frowned lightly when I remembered Red sleeping in his chair and looked up at Green as we ran.

He was staring at Blue fiercely, unconcealed fear in his forest eyes as the world fell into a dark twilight around us. I took one glance at her blood-stained clothes and knew exactly what he was thinking. This was just like the castle in the TR pendent. The place where she had almost died.

We wasted no time barging through the doors and attracting Nurse Joy's attention. The pink-haired lady disappeared through a door behind the front counter, reappearing near the one leading back into the recovery rooms with a stretcher and Chansey.

Green swiftly set her down with great care and looked at Nurse Joy. "She's going to need another transfusion."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise, but she refrained from asking questions until later. Instead, she rushed the stretcher through the recovery wing doors with us right on her and Chansey's heels.

"Get Red!" She shouted at us before turning down a hallway to the left.

Green nodded and continued on, me following him in slight confusion. In no time at all, we were coming to halt outside one of the rooms, and Green opened its door to show that it was the one I had awoken in. Red was no longer in his chair, and the brunette looked around quickly.

"Where did…he had to disappear at a time like this?!" He said in outrage.

"Green! Is that you?"

The two of us whipped around to the door as Silver ran in, eyes widening when he saw me standing near the bed.

"Yellow," he managed to say after a minute. "You…you're awake!"

I nodded with a small smile, but Green quickly strode over to the redhead. "Where's Red?"

"Looking for who we thought had kidnapped Yellow out in the hallways," he said, a little embarrassed now that he saw I was right here and fine. "We saw that she was gone and started scoping out the building."

"Well, come on," Green said tightly, heading back into the hallway. "We need to find him. Now."

Silver and I ran after him as he started sprinting in search of Red. "Why? What happened?"

Green looked at Silver as he quickly caught up. "Blue's been shot."

Both of their faces tensed at the words, and I followed silently behind them as Green huffed angrily. "And she needs a transfusion."

Silver nodded. "Then yeah. Where's Red—"

They skidded to a stop, and I quickly did the same to avoid crashing into them. Peeking around Silver's side, I saw Red panting on the other side of the four-way in the hall.

"Green!" He said sharply. "Have you seen…"

He trailed off into silence as his gaze found mine. For a minute, he didn't say anything until a smile of relief broke across his face and he sighed. "Yellow."

I blushed at how much concern was in that one sigh, and that only made him smile more. His relief was quickly swept away as Green stepped forward. "Go to the blood room. We're going to need another transfusion for Blue."

His red eyes widened. "What?"

Green clenched his teeth. "She got shot."

Red's eyes went from large to narrowed, and he gave a single nod. Green and Silver left to help Nurse Joy, leaving me to go with Red as he went to get a pack of blood ready.

As we ran through the halls, I saw him watching me with an air of happiness and couldn't help the blush that deepened on my cheeks. I tried to avert my gaze as much as possible, but even then I continued to sneak glances at him, too. My eyes locked with his, and I smiled.

It was him. In my dream, when I had lost control, it was him who had calmed me. It had been his face that'd I'd seen through my dark dimension. The ones that had helped lead me back to the real world.

I'd missed them so much. Especially the happy look in them that I couldn't remember seeing for a long while. It was almost like things were back to normal now.

But then I remembered what had happened between us before I'd gone unconscious and looked away with a frown. He tilted his head, scrunching his eyebrows, but then the blood room came up ahead, and he had to focus on finding what he needed for the transfusion inside. I watched from the doorway as he sat down in a chair and gasped as he carefully stabbed himself with a needle.

"What are you doing?!" I asked in shock, running over and taking it from him. I kept it in place as there was already blood running into it but stared at him as he smiled.

"I'm the only one with blood Blue can use," he explained. "There's still some from last time, but we're going to need just a little bit more."

I nodded slowly and soon found myself staring at him. He was doing the same, and again, I found the same naked relief flooding his crimson eyes. They filled me with such hope, but I squashed it out of fear and looked away. He noticed this averting of my eyes again and tilted his head.

"Yellow?"

His voice made me close my eyes.

"What's wrong?"

I could feel the dreaded warmth coming back again and carefully opened them as I turned back to face him.

"I…I-It's just that I thought…I mean, b-before Amber…" I was having trouble trying to find the right words, and it certainly didn't help that my voice was starting to crack up like before. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes tightly. "I thought you hated me now."

His eyes widened in shock, and I looked away as the needle became full, and I gently pulled it out, grabbing a gauze he had set on the chair's arm and placing it on his skin. I put the needle on the counter behind us and froze when I felt his hand wrap around mine.

Turning back, I saw him staring at me solemnly, our hands resting on his arm.

"Yellow," he said quietly, firm affection in his soft red eyes. "I could _never_ hate you."

I paused, my eyes growing even warmer. I tried like never before to hold them back. "T_-_then why would you…"

His face went carefully blank, and he stood up to grab some tape and wrap it around the guaze before turning back to me. "I-I…I was afraid that I'd lost you."

I froze, his words slowly sinking in. I looked up at him to see if he was lying, but there was nothing in his eyes but honest to Arceus truth.

My shoulders beginning to quake, I breathed in sharply as he silently wrapped me in his embrace.

And for the second time that day, I cried in the arms of the boy that I loved.

* * *

Me: *sitting in an emo corner crying*

Everyone else: *watching curiously*

Me: *muttering* I can't believe this. I'm crying, and I'm the one who wrote it! And it certainly doesn't help that I was listening to "Why" by Secondhand Serenade while I wrote it. I swear, Amber and Yellow's song. Forever.

Max: *tilts head* Um, who are you talking to?

Gardevoir: *sigh* Herself probably.

Me: *snaps out of it and stands up* Okay! I"m done!

Gardevoir: Well that didn't take long.

Carlos: Sigh...it never does.

Me: This is going to be a great year! And I know just how to start it off!

Gardevoir: *raises an eyebrow* Oh?

Me: *big smile* We're going to DISNEY WORLD!

Carlos & Max: YAY!

Me, Max, & Carlos: *skipping merrily in a circle cheering*

Gardevoir: *narrows eyes* Shoot. Me. Now.

Me: Happy New Years everyone! Don't forget to make your Resolutions! Lol! Hope you liked the chapter! *tear* Just too much emotion for me. Haha! But that's what makes it good, right? XD Tell me what you guys thought! Review and return!


	13. Chapter 13: Unlocking the Past

Max: *watching snow outside window*

Carlos: *lying on couch* It had to be a blizzard today?!

Gardevoir: *happy smile* Well, isn't this unfortunate. Now we can't go to Nisdey Land.

Carlos: *narrows eyes* It's _Disney World_.

Gardevoir: *flicks hand* Same difference.

Max: *rolls eyes* Either way, it doesn't look like we'll even be able to go home at this rate!

Carlos: *perks up* NO SCHOOL!

Max: *facepalm* Aye...

Gardevoir: *looking around* Hey...has anyone seen Eon?

Max & Carlos: *look around worriedly* No...

Gardevoir: *looks out the window* Uh-Oh. **Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. Simply OC's and the plot.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Blue

"_An old friend, Blue. A very old friend."_

I had no idea what she meant by that as I passed out from the pain of being shot, but apparently, some forgotten part of me did.

And my subconscious was going to make sure that I remembered.

* * *

_I shivered in fear as my vision was reduced to the view through the mask's two slits, my small five year-old body paling in great comparison to the massive golden bird hovering behind the eerie man standing before me. _

"_Now," his icy voice said smoothly. "Are you done trying to run away?"_

_Fearful of what would happen if I said no, I simply gave a small nod. _

_I couldn't tell what his expression was behind his mask, but I had a good feeling that it matched the cold steel's frightening smile. _

"_Good. Now, let's get you accommodated with the others."_

_Shaking lightly as the Ho-Oh flew off into the sky, I followed silently as the man came up to my side and led me through the foggy area to a large mile wide abandoned field with a large complex set right in the middle of it. There didn't seem to be any signs of civilization in any direction save for the structure ahead, and that was exactly where we were headed. _

_He led my fear-frozen form through the front prison-like gates to the inside of the perimeter where four lines of kids stood on either side of the main courtyard. Each row contained five children, and I could see that most of their expressions were similar to mine save for two who stood side by side at the front of the row, small smiles on their faces as the Masked Man walked forth with me at his side. He placed me in the final line that only had four, completing the pattern of five to a row and raising his arms towards the sky. _

"_Children! Do not be frightened!" He yelled out in his frosty voice, the mask turning down to stare at us all. "This is a special time! You have all been specifically chosen out of many to witness the event that will change the world forever!"_

_Regardless of his words, I felt myself shiver and desperately wished I could go back home to Mummy and Daddy. _

"_Now," his smooth voice said softly. "I know many of you are…_unsure_…about these new accommodations, but do not fret. You will all be looked after with the utmost care."_

_Even at five, I could sense the double meaning to his words. _

_He clapped his hands. "Now! Let's go over a few rules before we get things started." His voice grew low as he said, "You're positions are in fact temporary."_

_I sensed every child around me freeze as he took a step forward and leered at us from behind his cold mask. _

"_Not everyone here will still remain at the end of winter. Only a select few will be permanently kept. Those that survive the trials and evaluations will have the privilege of joining me in this world-changing event. Those that do not…" He gave a low chuckle, and my blood ran cold. "Well, let's just say that you won't be receiving the same treatment."_

_There was nothing but dead silence as he gave a nod and lifted a hand to either side. "Now, if you would, I'd like the girls to come over here and the boys over here."_

_We all moved automatically, the chilling atmosphere making our feet move before we could even think. The forty-some kids quickly split into two groups, all of our eyes wide as the Masked Man watched us. I looked around at them, but it was hard to distinguish individuals with all the masks creating a mob of shining silver that reflected in the light of the midnight moon. _

_The Masked Man waited silently as the last few filed in line on either side of him, his shoulders tensing when one of them tripped and fell. I looked through the slits of my mask to see that it was a little boy who couldn't have been more than three years younger than me with bright red hair that blew gently in the breeze. His little shoulders shook at the man's glare, and he quickly stumbled to the safety of his gender's group. _

"_Alright," the Mask of Ice said dauntingly. "I'm going to randomly pair you each with another member of your group. This will be your partner for the next months of your trials. Training, eating, sleeping…you will do everything with this person. You will learn each other's weaknesses and strengths, and you will learn how to fight alongside each other. However. Not both of you may make it through these following months. One of you may fail the trials, both of you could, or it's very possible that you both survive together. If that should happen, you should consider yourself lucky. For I don't find that likely to come."_

_By now every child in the complex's yard had gone still and simply nodded as he started pushing them into pairs. He started off with the boys, and my eyes wandered until they landed on the small redhead I had seen before. I could feel them widen in fear as he was partnered with a much bigger child with purple hair that made me worry for him. My anxiety soon included me though as the Masked finished off the males and made his way to their counterparts. _

_I found myself holding my breath as he slowly floated through the girls, gently putting them in twos as he gradually got to me. His flowing figure standing directly in front of me, I set my chin and clenched my fists, determined not to let him know that I was scared. The motion seemed to make him chuckle a moment before he took my shoulders and led me toward another girl he had set off to the side. Leaving me with her, he went to finish his task, and once completed, he had us line up in twos and follow him through the complex to what looked like a small dormitory and gave each pair a room into which they went and made themselves at home—or at least tried to, considering the circumstances. _

_I hadn't even looked once at whom my partner was, simply walking by her form until we were turned into a room of our own. There were two beds set on opposite sides of the fairly large room, two desks against the far wall side by side next to the beds. It looked fairly homey, not quite what I had been expecting, but I didn't whine. It could have been worse. _

_The door shut behind us, and I stood there silently with the other girl as a few minutes later, a hidden intercom came on, and the Masked Man's voice flooded the dorms. _

"_I would advise going to sleep, my children. You have a long day ahead of you."_

_And with that, any trace of him disappeared, and the room fell into silence. _

_Slowly turning to the other girl, I observed her through my cold mask as she did the same. There wasn't much too study as her face was also concealed, but in the moonlight streaming in from the window above the desks, I could see that she had very light blonde hair that trailed past her shoulders which were quite straight and sure considering our current situation. She appeared to be the same age as me, and I swiftly held out a hand to her before I could think twice. _

"_Hi. I'm Blue."_

_I took off my mask to show her what I really looked like and saw her stiffen in surprise at my sudden revelation. She stared at my hand for a long minute, doing nothing to make a move forward. I bit my lip and was about to take it back when she hesitantly reached her hand out to grasp mine. _

"_H-Hi."_

_I smiled slightly. "Do you have a name?"_

_She shook her head slightly. _

_I chuckled lightly. "Are you scared to tell me?"_

_This time she nodded shyly, and I smiled again. "That's okay. I'll make a nickname for you!"_

_I saw her head perk up, and I put a finger to my chin, the mask in my other hand. Seeing the moonlight flooding in and making her light hair glow white, an idea came to mind. _

"_How about Luna? Because of how pretty the moon makes your hair!"_

_She was still for the longest time again, and I considered taking it back in case she didn't like it when she suddenly nodded and took off her mask. I watched in happiness as her fair-skinned face emerged with a smile beneath her bright sun-gold eyes. _

"_I like that."_

* * *

_We were up at the crack of dawn the following day, obediently placing our masks back on our faces as we filed into the faint light of the courtyard. I hadn't gotten much rest as I had been longing for home like all the other children, but my weariness soon left as the Masked Man appeared like an apparition before us in the dark morning. _

"_Ah, I hope you all rested up," he chuckled eerily. He gestured at another part of the complex with a sweep of his hand and directed the first kid to start heading for it. "It's time to begin our first activity."_

_Naturally, Luna and I stuck together as we walked along with all of the other kids who appeared to be doing the same thing with their own partners. Once inside the building, I saw that it resembled one of those fighting dojos I had seen before back at home and vaguely wondered why were in such a place. _

_As the doors slammed shut behind us, the windows all suddenly blacked out, and the room became a haven of darkness. Some of the other kids cried out in surprise, and Luna and I discreetly took a step closer to each other in the dark. _

_No sooner had we done that though, another cry was let out but this time plagued with a hint of pain. Whipping my head around to try and detect what was happening, I reeled back in shock as something icy and sharp whacked my arm hard and bit into my skin. I heard Luna retaliate beside me but was unable to help her as I had to fight back myself. There were some mean kids back home at school so I wasn't completely defenseless. _

_Snapping my arm out when the icy attacker made contact again, I let out a silent cry as I broke straight through whatever it was, my skin reverberating with the force of the hit. A thousand little shards of something cold flew in every direction, and I froze as the sounds of ambush slowly faded, and the light flickered on above our heads. _

_My eyes widened when I saw the statues of ice stationed in a ring around the large group of us kids. They looked lithe and eerie, some frozen mid-lunge and others standing as if observing the children in front of them. _

_Looking at my feet, my eyes could only widen further at the shattered figure on the ground. It was another frozen warrior, but his head had been broken off, lying battered and cracked against the far wall no doubt due to my sudden retaliation. _

_All gazes were locked on me, and I resisted the urge to squirm. Ever so slowly, the Masked Man emerged from the shadow hanging over the front door. He slowly walked up to my slightly trembling form, and I watched in shock as he flicked his wrist, the icy head flying back and melding onto the clear figure in response. Then he gave a wide wave of his arms, and all the ice statues moved as if human, assuming various positions along the walls of the room before growing still once more. _

_Every child watched him as he turned to me and tilted his head, a hand on his chin. _

"_Quite good reflexes you have," he murmured with icy smoothness before directing his attention to everyone. "Children! I would like to introduce you to your new playground!" _

_Gesturing at the various ice warriors, he said, "These are memories of men long ago who fought with their own mind and body without having to rely on the power of a Pokemon." He turned back to us, and my eyes widened as he went on. "You will learn the way of their battle. This is your first trial. As the day goes on, you will become aware of the others, but for now, let us start with this one."_

_I tilted my head in confusion as did many of the other kids, but we quickly righted ourselves when the Masked Man turned to us and commanded that we split up into our pairs. I turned around to find Luna heading back for me as we had been separated during the ambush. Standing side by side, we watched the others silently as they did the same, and the statues against the wall suddenly pushed off and raced across the room, one stopping in front of each set of children. _

"_They will perform a sequence of steps," the Masked Man's voice boomed out. "Memorize them and practice them on each other. Once you are ready, the statue will assess you."_

_Drifting over to a chair sitting on a pedestal across the room, he watched as the warriors of ice suddenly burst to life. _

_Luna and I's eyes went wide as we saw its crystalline arms swing gracefully in a flurry of arcs and slashes, wondering how in the world we could ever learn something like that. When it came to a stop, we turned to each other and hesitantly held up our arms. Calling upon our memories, we started trying to copy the statue. It was one of the most tedious and ridiculous things I could ever remember having to do, but I refrained from commenting after a glance at the evil man sitting quietly on his throne. _

"_Blue," Luna whispered, and I looked back to see that the warrior was approaching us, its arms up and ready to go. _

_I gave a small gulp. "Here we go."_

_Needless to say, we got pummeled. Badly. We were nowhere even close to outsmarting the chiseled block of ice, ending up on the ground with our arms stinging from the bites of cold hits. Lifting my head, I glanced across the room to see another pair watching us, a small brunette who was getting beat up pretty badly herself and a blunette with icy locks of wavy hair that bounced around her shoulders as she easily defended herself. I saw that she was clearly bored with the lack of challenge and had decided to pick some fun by laughing at how pitiful Luna and I were dealing with our own enemy. _

_Glaring at her, I quickly jumped to my feet and lashed out at the statue again only to be thrown back to the floor. The blunette laughed even harder, and I gritted my teeth. Luna was on her feet by now, and I saw the blue-haired girl almost double over when my partner got knocked down beside me. Luna saw her laughing too and frowned. She growled, and I held her back as she leapt up and made a start for her. _

"_Luna! Don't!" I told her ruefully. "We don't what would happen if we start a fight!"_

_The gold-eyed girl set her jaw but took my warning and stepped back just in time to dodge another hit from the statue. In retaliation, she snapped her hand out in one of the sequences that we were learning and perfectly cut off the clear arm. It immediately jumped up from the ground and reattached to the warrior, but I couldn't help but widen my eyes. _

"_How did you do that?" I asked incredulously. _

_She turned to me and held up her hands, helping me to position mine correctly. Telling me how to correctly hit the ice with it, I dodged the statue's next attack proceeded to execute my own successful punch. _

"_Wow!" I told her with a smile. "You sure picked up on that quick!"_

_She shrugged, but I could see her turn away sheepishly. "I have a brother."_

_I nodded cheerfully, seeing her in a new light as our lesson continued._

* * *

_Luna sighed as we collapsed on the grass of the courtyard and I did the same a second later. Our fighting lessons had seemed to last forever this morning and right after them, we'd moved on to what was to be our second trial—working in darkness. We'd had to maneuver and due various activities all without the use of light. And after that, we'd been given Pokemon and told to battle with them. I'd never truly fought with a Pokemon before and neither had Luna so we hadn't done too well for our first day. It seemed to me as if the Masked Man was trying to judge our mind, skill, and strength._

_Luna sighed again and turned to me. "This is not at all what I'd been expecting."_

_I nodded slowly. "Well, I hadn't exactly been expecting any of this."_

_Both of us went still at that. _

"_W-what do you think they're doing?" Luna whispered. "Back at home?"_

_I stared up at the dark-orange sky, watching as the sun slowly began to set. "They're looking for us of course."_

_She didn't say anything for a moment. "But how will they find us? I don't think we're anywhere near home."_

_I closed my eyes. "I-I'm not sure."_

_She nodded quietly and closed her eyes like me. _

"_Hey! Runts!"_

_Our eyes snapped open, and Luna sat up in annoyance to find the blunette from our fighting lessons. She stood with a hand on her hip as if she considered her surroundings below her standards, a foot tapping on the ground. She was definitely one of the oldest kids, surpassing Luna and I by five or six years. Her silvery-blue hair flowed down her back in large waves, and Luna scoffed as she flicked a few locks. _

"_Exhausted after only the first day, huh?" The girl snickered, seeing our laid out forms. "Well, I can tell already that you two won't last long."_

_Luna bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_The blunette laughed. "Just wait. You'll find out soon enough."_

_And with that, she stalked off towards the dorms where everyone was beginning to retire. _

_Luna gave an angry sigh. "I swear, she makes me so mad."_

_I nodded with a frown. "I know what you mean."_

_Luna threw her back a glare as we stood up and began following the others. "I don't know what her problem is. All she's been doing all day is laughing and doing her best to make fun of us in front of everyone."_

_I rolled my eyes. "She's just full of it. Forget about her."_

_Luna nodded after a minute, but I could tell that she wasn't totally convinced. _

_Back in our room, we plopped down on our beds and threw off the masks, their metal echo sounding as they hit the desks. My face in the pillow, I sighed lightly before lifting it up to see Luna staring out the window, her light eyes glowing in the darkening sunset. _

"_It's okay," I murmured, although I wasn't sure if the words were more for her rather than myself. "Somebody will come save us."_

_She nodded resolutely. "I know. My big brother is going to."_

_I tilted my head. "Your brother?"_

_She turned her gaze to me, and I saw a fierce shot of hope in her eyes. "He told me he would. Before they took me away."_

_My eyes widened. "H-he was there when it happened?"_

_She nodded again, looking down. "He told me not to worry because he would find me. He said to stay safe and protect my identity above all else. That's why I haven't told you my name. He said they can't change who I am if they don't know who I am."_

_I shook my head slowly, a sudden longing washing over me. "You're lucky. I don't have any siblings."_

_It was quiet a minute, and she looked up at me with a small smile. "That's okay. You have me."_

_My eyes widened again at her. "Really?"_

_She nodded, her smile growing. "Of course! We're partners, remember? I would never leave you behind! When my brother comes, we'll take you with us!"_

_I felt a small tear in my eye but rubbed it away. Here was a girl who I barely even knew, but somehow, was willing to help break me out of this prison. I'd only just met her, but I had a feeling we were going to be good friends. _

"_Thank you."_

_She smiled. "No problem!"_

_I chuckled a little and watched as the sun disappeared completely before turning on a lamp that sat atop the desk. "You know, I don't think I've ever met anyone like you before."_

_She laughed and winked. "That's because there's only one me!"_

_I laughed back at her before the door opened and my smile turned into a scowl. The blunette from before stood in the doorway with her brown-haired partner, a tray in each of their hands. Both of them were without their masks, and I could clearly see the cunning smile on the taller one's face._

"_Here!" She said with mock cheerfulness that didn't quite go along with the slyness swimming in the blue-silver eyes that matched her hair. "We brought you guys supper!"_

_Luna's eyes narrowed as she walked over to her and her partner stalked over to me. For some reason, I saw a speck of guilt in her warm brown eyes and slowly reached for the tray she held out to me. She quickly walked out of the room, and I watched her with open curiosity. _

_Luna however was staring at the blunette with obvious suspicion. "We heard about the dinner schedule earlier. We were about to go get some."_

_The blue-eyed girl smirked and held out a tray to her. "Well, consider it a welcoming gift."_

_Luna turned her head away. "I'd rather not."_

_The blunette scoffed angrily. "That's no way to treat your Senpai!"_

_Luna turned back with a cocked eyebrow. "You make fun of me and my friend all day, make us seem like a joke, and plus I don't even know you. So, I don't care if you're older than me. I'm not taking it."_

_The girl laughed. "Fine. My name is Karen, and I'm simply trying to make up for being so rude to you earlier. Are you really one to refuse an apology?"_

_Luna's eyes only narrowed further before she reached forward to grab the tray. As she leaned over the bed, her hair caught on a button on Karen's shirt. She started tugging against it before the older girl huffed in annoyance and set both trays on the desk to unhook her. _

"_Would you stop moving?" She snapped at Luna. _

_To my surprise, the blonde went still enough for Karen to release her. Once free, she grabbed a tray and smiled. "Sorry about that. I've been meaning to get my hair cut for a while now."_

_Karen only frowned at her before snatching the remaining tray and stalking out of the room. _

_Tilting my head, I shrugged before picking up a fork to start eating. A second later, Luna was on my bed, plucking it from fingers and taking away the tray. _

"_Hey!" I protested with empty hands. "I don't know about you, but I'm actually quite hungry!"_

"_You don't want to eat it," she said flatly, dumping the contents out the window. I was about to protest again when she closed the window and set the tray down. "She did something to it."_

_My eyes widened. "What? How do you know that?"_

_Luna smirked. "My big brother always tries to pull stuff on me. I could recognize that look in his eyes anywhere."_

_I looked helplessly at her tray which happened to be the only food we had yet could not eat either. "Well, I guess we'll be going without supper tonight."_

_Her smirk grew, and she sat down beside me with her tray, handing my fork back before taking her own. "I wouldn't say that."_

_My eyebrows scrunched. "Huh?"_

_She winked at me. "I grabbed the other tray when she put them down."_

_My jaw dropped open, and she simply ate her first forkful. Shaking my head with a smile, I did the same. "Wow, you're really sneaky. What do you think it'll do to her?"_

_Luna tapped her chin thoughtfully and swallowed before grinning at me. _

"_Let's just say, I don't think we'll be seeing her at our lessons tomorrow."_

_And just like she'd predicted, the following day was a pleasant one of freedom from Karen while said girl was throwing up in her dorm._

* * *

_Weeks passed by slowly with Luna and me waiting hopefully for her brother to arrive. But with each day that went by, our fire ebbed away and was replaced with a shadow of gloom as we realized that it was quite possible that no one would ever be able to find us. _

_After the little supper sickness on our first day, Karen had only grown steadily more venomous towards us, tripping us up in the hallways so that everyone laughed and taunting us with the threat of what would happen if we weren't good enough to pass our evaluations. _

_That alone was enough to keep us up at night. Every few days, another kid would suddenly disappear from the ranks without a trace. Nothing had happened to me yet, and I thanked Arceus every morning when I found my blonde friend still in her bed. _

_Subconsciously, I always kept an eye out for that little redhead I had seen on the first day. It twisted my heart that someone as small as him had to be subjected to something as horrible as this and silently promised to keep an eye out for him whenever I could even though we never crossed paths all that much. We did though one day when the Masked Man decided to give the half of kids who still remained since the first day a Pokemon of their own. _

"_You have all done very well," the Masked Man said proudly one afternoon as about the last twenty-four of us kids stood around him in the courtyard. "And as a reward, I think it's about time you all had a Pokemon of your own to train and become powerful with."_

_He silently produced a box from the depths of his flowing cape and sat it on the ground. It was no larger than his head, but when he opened it, I could see it contained a vast amount of Pokeballs with a variety of Pokemon inside. _

_Calling each pair up one at a time, I saw that Karen was ahead of Luna and me and scoffed as she smirked at us. Her partner had been gone for a while now, and she seemed to enjoy the idea of being a one-woman-show. Eventually it was her turn, and I watched as she received a Pokeball containing a small furry brown Pokemon. She evaluated it a moment before walking a ways off and releasing it to assess it further. _

_Then it was mine and Luna's turn. She went first, calmly walking up to the man ahead of her and meeting his steel gaze with her own. He said nothing to her, simply setting a red and white sphere in her hands and watching as she went. I tilted my head and proceeded to do the same, my eyes straining to see inside the box through my grey mask. Finally, he pulled out another Pokeball and gave it to me before I stepped out of line and walked over to Luna who had already released her Pokemon. _

_It was a furry purple Bug-type with big red eyes and long white antennae. Luna seemed to love it as she was giving it a big hug, and it was chirping happily in response. I hadn't even taken a look at my Pokemon yet so I wasted no time bringing it out to join Luna's. _

_Mine was a small round pink Pokemon that I thought looked a lot like a Normal-type. It had cute cat-like ears and round blue eyes. I gave a wide smile and proceeded to give it a hug like Luna had done. This was my first Pokemon ever, and I couldn't have been happier. I loved adorable things!_

_Unfortunately, I was not too good with names. "So, what are they called?"_

_Luna looked up from her Pokemon and put a finger to her chin. "I believe the one you have is called a Jigglypuff and mine is a Venonat!"_

_My eyes widened in excitement. "That' so cool! I can't believe they're really ours!"_

_Luna nodded happily before I saw her eyes move slightly to the right and see something behind me. Turning around, I saw that the Masked Man was looming over the little redhead I had come to recognize. _

"_Why won't you take it?" He asked, his frosty voice echoing around the courtyard. _

_The little boy shook his head slightly and reached into the pocket of his coat, and to my surprise, he retrieved a minimized Pokeball of his own. The Masked Man looked into it curiously before nodding. _

"_I suppose that shall do," was all he said before ushering him out of line. _

_The little boy's purple-haired partner received his Pokemon next, and after walking away from the Masked Man, he released it. From what I could see, it was a small green bird with little round wings and long red feet. _

"_A Natu," I heard Luna murmur beside me. I tilted my head at her. "It's a Psychic and Flying-type," she said to me before her brow crinkled curiously as the little redhead brought out the Pokemon he'd had with him all along. _

_After the initial flash of light, I saw that it was a cat-like Pokemon with a pink feather replacing its ear and contrasting greatly with its dark body color. Its hands were two large white claws, and it gave its surroundings a curious glance before turning to the redhead in confusion. The little boy whispered something, and the Pokemon froze. _

"_And that's a Sneasel!" Luna whispered in shock. _

_I turned to her. "What's wrong?"_

_She shifted her arms beneath her Venonat, and I did the same with Jigglypuff. "It's just that…it's a Pokemon from a region called Johto. The same goes for Natu—that's why I was surprised when I saw it."_

_The sudden thought of our actual location suddenly sprang to mind and made my heart fill with dread, but it was replaced with fear as the purple-haired walked up to his partner. _

"_So, you had a Pokemon all this time, eh?" He said with a smirk. He observed the little boy's Sneasel before sighing. "Well that's a disappointment. It doesn't even look all that strong." Clicking his tongue, he turned around and cupped a hand around his mouth. "Karen! Come look at this!"_

_Returning her brown Pokemon, said blunette stalked over to them and scoffed at the little redhead's Sneasel. "Look at what, Will? There's nothing to see!"_

_The redhead and his Sneasel both bristled at that but could do nothing. It was two on one and both of his opponents were much bigger than him. _

_As they continued to laugh at him, I felt my blood begin to boil until I couldn't take it anymore and marched over protectively in front of him. _

"_Listen you bunch of Muk slime!" I yelled at them. "Stop being so mean! There's no point in picking on someone smaller than you like this! It's just cruel!"_

_Will raised an eyebrow, and Karen folded her arms with a smirk. "And what are you gonna do about it runt?"_

_I clenched my teeth and smirked back when Luna appeared beside me, her Venomoth leaning forward challengingly at them. Jigglypuff leapt out of my arms to do the same, and I smiled at it before cocking an eyebrow at Karen and her friend Will. _

"_Oh?" Karen questioned with a smile. "You guys want to battle? Hm…" She turned to Will. "How about it? Might be a good warm-up for battle lessons today."_

_The violette laughed. "I'd be surprised if it was even that difficult!"_

_Karen laughed before turning back to us. "Alright. You guys are on."_

_I turned to see if the Masked Man would object, but he had just finished handing out Pokeballs and simply watched in curiosity. Setting my jaw, I waited until Luna and our opponents went off to find a space for the battle before turning to the redhead who was standing very still behind me. _

_I knelt down to him. "Are you alright?"_

_He looked up at me and nodded softly. _

_I smirked. "Good. Don't worry; Luna and I are going to teach those guys a lesson!"_

_I saw him chuckle lightly and smiled before running after my blonde friend. Will had already rereleased his Natu and Karen had done the same with her Pokemon who I still did not know the name of. _

_It was like Luna had read my mind as she said, "Karen has an Eevee. It's a Normal-type like your Jigglypuff."_

_I nodded and turned to her. "How do you know all the names of these Pokemon?"_

_She shrugged. "Big brother liked to teach me all about the Pokemon in the forest."_

_I smiled at her before realizing that we were about to battle and turning to face Will and Karen as the blunette cleared her throat and smirked. "Ready to get pummeled?"_

_Luna scoffed. "Better be talking to yourself."_

_Karen smirked. "I'll take that as a yes. Eevee, Tackle!"_

"_Venonat, dodge!" Luna yelled, her Pokemon doing just that as Eevee barreled past. _

_I was so caught up in watching that I whipped around in surprise when Jigglypuff let out a cry and I saw that Natu was using Peck on it. Trying to remember our battling lessons and what basic moves it could probably use, I shouted, "Jiggly, Sing!"_

_It smiled at me, apparently liking the nickname I had just made up for it, before closing its eyes and whispering a soft lullaby to Natu who was promptly knocked out. Seeing as how it would be occupied for a while, I turned back to see how Luna was doing. _

_Her Venonat was holding up quite well to Karen's relentless stream of Tackles; however, it was slowly losing ground and falling back with each hit. _

"_Quick, Foresight!" Luna said as if she had a trick up her sleeve. _

_Venonat's eyes lit up with a faint red light, and Eevee stopped its next Tackle as a white flash came from the Bug-type and enveloped it. _

_Karen laughed loudly from the opposite side of the field. "You really think a weak move like that can stop us? Eevee, Tackle again!"_

_The brown Pokemon burst through the light and slammed into Venonat, knocking it flat on its back. I thought I saw a small flash of light, but when I blinked, it was gone. Leaping back, Eevee started towards Jiggly, seeing as how its first opponent was down. _

"_Your turn," Karen smiled deviously. "Let's go with another Tackle!"_

_I winced, waiting for Eevee to collide with Jiggly, but my eyes shot back open and stared when nothing happened. Karen was doing quite the same as she realized that her Pokemon couldn't carry out the move. _

"_What is this?!" She screamed in outrage. "What's going on?"_

_Luna chuckled. "Can't you recognize a Disable move when you see one?"_

_Karen hissed in frustration but suddenly smirked and jerked her head at Eevee. "Helping Hand!"_

_I turned to Luna in confusion as Eevee quickly executed the move. "Why would she—?"_

"_Blue!" Luna shrieked. "Watch out!"_

_I whipped back around, but it was too late, and I made it in time to see Jiggly get knocked out by a charged Peck attack from Natu who had awoken when no one was watching. I scoffed as I realized what Karen had used Helping Hand for and apologetically looked to Luna. _

_The golden-eyed girl simply shook her head and gave me a small smile that no one else saw before setting her face. "Venonat! Tackle Natu!"_

_The purple Bug-type started charging forward before Karen smirked, and her Eevee intervened, tripping it so that it face-planted harmlessly into Natu's side. _

_Will told his Pokemon to hold Venonat down and turned to Karen with a smile. "Here Karen, dear. I've given you the perfect opportunity."_

_The blunette snickered. "Now Eevee! Bite!"_

_I saw Luna cringe as Venonat let out a cry of pain at the sharp pinch of Eevee's teeth sinking into it. The Normal-type finally let go, and my eyes widened as they caught another brief flash from Venonat's feelers. _

_Karen saw that Venonat was still able to battle and sighed. "Will, would you end this for me? I believe you have the type advantage, no?"_

_Will nodded. "With pleasure. Natu, Peck!"_

_Like with Eevee's Tackle, nothing happened, and Will stomped the ground. "Now what?!"_

_Karen's eyes narrowed at Luna. "Another Disable. My, my, aren't you sneaky?"_

_I chuckled to myself, thinking back to when I'd used that exact word to describe her. _

_Luna smirked. "Venonat, Supersonic!"_

_A beam of yellow knocked into Eevee, causing it to fall under a spell of confusion, and the sudden attack surprised Natu enough that Venonat could escape. It was a fast little Bug-type as it was able to get out of there in time for Luna to give another command. _

"_Tackle!"_

_In a matter of seconds, Natu was down for the count, and Will let out a cry. _

"_No!" He wailed before Karen silenced him with an irritated wave of her hand. _

"_Come on, Eevee!" She shouted desperately. "Snap out of it!"_

"_Ah, ah," Luna waggled her finger. "Not so fast. Venonat, let's Tackle again, shall we?"_

_And in another matter of seconds, a knocked-out Eevee joined Natu on the ground. _

_There was a long period of silence, only the sound of the wind blowing through the courtyard before the Masked Man drifted over to us. _

"_That is enough for today," he said in a flat voice that seemed to chill the air. "You may retire for the night now children."_

_Another age of silence followed before the kids realized he wasn't joking and took advantage of their good fortune to head to the cafeteria early. Luna and I didn't move, but once he turned to us, we returned our Pokemon and obediently started walking for the dorms. _

_I walked through the doors of the building and started down the hallway until seeing the little redhead watching me from up ahead and stopping. We watched each through our masks, neither of us moving. Then he walked up to me, and I watched with wide eyes as he bowed slightly. _

"_Thank you," I heard him whisper before running off down the hall. _

_I smiled to myself as his form vanished and turned around to find that Luna was still at the front doors, her head peeping around the corner. Walking up behind her, I said quietly, "What are you doing?"_

_She beckoned me forward, and my eyes widened as I realized that we could hear what the Masked Man was saying out in the courtyard. His voice echoed over the area, and I saw that Karen and Will were still out there with him. _

"_You two are my most elite children," he said softly. "It amazes me that one so young could defeat you two."_

_Karen gulped. "Please sir! We'll do better! Just don't-!"_

_He cut her off with a sweep of his hand. "I do not plan on disposing of you. You are valuable assets that I cannot afford to lose." He grabbed his chin. "It's that blond one that worries me. She seems too powerful for her own good. In her case, she might be better gone."_

_I sucked in a breath, and Luna froze as he went on. _

"_She may prove to be a problem later on as I can sense that she is not completely committed as the two of you are," he mused aloud. Giving a heated sigh after a moment, he hung his head. "Alright. I shall take care of her tonight. It's just something that I cannot risk."_

_I saw Karen grin in delight, and Will smirk in triumph, but all I could do was turn to Luna in horror as she turned to ice. My mind turning to fear, I grabbed her arm and sprinted us back to our dorm where I threw her inside and slammed the door shut. _

"_What are we going to do?!" I shouted in distress, beginning to pace back and forth as I grabbed my head. "We can't let them take you!"_

_Luna said nothing, simply pushing past me out of the room. "Stay here."_

_I watched her go helplessly before setting my face and going to lock the window. I wasn't going to let anything come in here. Luna was staying and that was that. Who cared if she was great at battling?! It just showed how much…potential, as the Masked Man would call it…she had!_

_Suddenly feeling drained, I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling. What would I do if they took Luna? In only a matter of months she had become my best friend. Even though the circumstances had kind of guaranteed it, I didn't care. I hadn't had a lot of friends back home, and Luna felt truer than any of them. We had each other's back; we both knew that. _

_I narrowed my eyes. And because of that, I _was not_ going to let anything happen to her. _

_I laid there for a while, the sunset outside turning to twilight and soon darkness as I waited for Luna to return. Suddenly, I realized that they could've gotten her while she went out and ran for the door just as she walked in. _

_I crushed her in a worried hug. "Where have you been?! I thought they took you!"_

_She smiled at my concern and shook her head. "No, I went to find out where exactly we are."_

_I tilted my head. "Come again?"_

_She walked to her bed before beckoning me over and sitting on her legs. "I broke into the Masked Man's database and found out where this complex is."_

_I gasped. "H-How did you—!" I let out a cry as I cut my foot on the corner of her bed in my eagerness to hear her answer. I grabbed it, hopping on one foot as blood began to well up on my skin. _

"_Dang it!" I huffed. "Do you think they have any—"_

_I stopped talking as she got up and placed her hand on it. Instantly, a flood of warmth washed over my skin, and the cut healed in a second. _

_My eyes widened. "Woah."_

_She smiled widely. "I have special powers. Both of my siblings do, too."_

_My eyebrows creased. "Your brother, too? Wait, you have another brother?!"_

_She laughed and shook her head. "Nope! I have a big brother and little sister!"_

_I chuckled. "It must be nice to have siblings." I set my foot down and stared at it in wonder. I was about to ask how she'd gotten such awesome powers, but she seemed to have sensed it and answered my first question before I could ask. _

"_Anyway, so I found out that we're in a faraway region called Hoenn," she explained to me. _

_I could feel my eyes widen further as I sat down beside her on her bed. "Wow. We really are far from home, aren't we?"_

_She nodded tersely. "But I'm still going to try to get out of here."_

_I froze. "Luna, what do you mean?"_

_She closed her eyes. "They're coming for me tonight anyway so I might as well try. But, knowing the Masked Man and all his security he's installed to keep us here, I won't make it past the front gate." She bared her teeth. "So, either way, I'm history."_

_My jaw dropped in horror. "Don't say that!" _

"_Why? We know it's true." Her voice was bitter, and I held back tears._

"_What about your brother?" I said, trying to convince her not to do it. "You said he was coming for you!"_

"_Blue," she said softly. "It's been, what? Three months now?" She sighed sadly. "We both know he's not coming."_

_I bit my lip. "But you can't just give up!"_

_She chuckled to herself. "It's okay. My time here is done. I would take you with me, but I know I'm probably not going to make it out of here, and I don't want you to fall victim to the same fate."_

_I clutched her arm. "Luna—"_

"_Stay here," she interrupted me. "If you can keep up how well we've been doing, I know you'll make it to the end and survive." She smirked. "And watch out for that little redhead. I think he's gonna need all the help he can get." Her small faltered. "He's so young…reminds me of my sister…" She closed her eyes and sniffled. "I'm so glad she didn't have to come here."_

_I saw the tears gathering in her eyes and set my jaw. "No, Luna. You're not going."_

_She looked at me. "Blue, it doesn't matter—"_

_I shook my head. "Yes, yes it does. I've been through too much with you to just allow them to come and take you away. I won't let them!"_

_She smiled faintly. "That's sweet of you, Blue, but there's nothing we can do about it. We're just kids."_

_I glared at her. "We'll just see about that."_

_I got up and stalked over to my bed, laying down and watching her furiously so that I could stop anyone that tried to touch her. She saw what I was trying to do and gave a sad laugh before lying in her own bed. _

"_Blue, just go to sleep. You'll need it for your lessons tomorrow."_

"_You mean _our _lessons tomorrow," I told her stubbornly before softening my voice. "It's going to be okay, Luna. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"_

_She simply smiled and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Blue. For everything."_

_I didn't say anything, only continuing to watch over her as she fell into sleep and the late hours of the night fell upon us. Around midnight, I felt my eyes growing heavy but forced them to stay open in fear of what might happen if I should let them close. But I didn't have a choice in the matter. The stress and exhaustion from today soon got to me, and they finally slammed shut. _

_I was lost in a world of darkness, and when I finally woke up, I realized the fatal mistake I had made. _

_But by then, it was too late. _

_Her bed was empty. _

"_Luna!"_

* * *

"Blue!"

I fought against the familiar voice yelling out to me, trying to watch as my five-year old self ran out of the room, but the long-lost memory faded into oblivion, and my mind slipped back into reality. However, I had a good feeling about what was running through my head as I raced out of the room in search for my gold-eyed friend for it was whirling through my thoughts for the second time now.

What had happened to Luna?!

* * *

*Knock on the front door*

Gardevoir: *hesitantly looks up from window* One of you should probably answer that.

Max: *narrows eyes* What happened?

Gardevoir: *nervous chuckle* Let's just say that Eon and I had a..._disagreement_...over who got the last doughnut while you guys were sleeping in this morning...

Carlos: *jumps up* There's doughnuts?! *runs into kitchen* WHERE ARE THEY?!

Gardevoir: *another nervous chuckle* W-Why don't I go help him? *hurries into kitchen*

Max: *sighs and answers door to see a frozen Eon snowman* *trying not to burst out laughing* H-Hey! W-haha-what happened to you?!

Me: *trying to speak but face is covered by snowman's head*

Max: *uses trusty Ninetales to melt away all the snow while laughing* What was that?

Me: *glaring* Where is she?

Gardevoir: *accidentally walks into room*

Me: AHA! *jumps onto Gardevoirs back* I WANT THE DOUGHNUT!

Gardevoir: *runs around* I don't know where it is! You hid it somewhere! Don't you remember?!

Me: NO I DON'T! YOU FOUND IT AND TOOK IT! I WANT IT!

Carlos: *walks in eating doughnut* Hey guys! Look what I found in the toaster-!

Gardevoir & Me: *tackles Carlos* DOUGHNUT!

Max: *sweatdrop* Am I the only sane one here?

Me: Thanks for reading guys! I hoped you liked the chapter! It's the longest one I've ever written! Whoo! *sweatdrop* I know it's been two weeks since I last updated, but I had finals last week so I haven't had too much time for writing until this weekend. And just so you all aren't confused, this chapter is about a memory from Blue's past with the Masked Man. ;D Just thought I'd let you know that! Review and return!


	14. Chapter 14: Raging Revelations

Me: *throws snowball over fort's edge* TAKE THAT MAX!

Max: *ducks behind fort of her own* Gardevoir! Snowball me!

Gardevoir: *hands over snowball and grabs one of own* Locked and loaded.

Max: FIRE! *throws snowball along with Gardevoir's*

Carlos: INCOMING!

Me: Duck! *grabs him and pulls down behind barrier just as cold missiles hit*

Carlos: That was close! *grabs another snowball and chucks it* You'll never defeat us!

Gardevoir: *to Max* I know! *throws chocolate into middle of battlefield* Look Eon! A truffle!

Me: *pops head up* TRUFFLE?! *runs out for chocolate*

Max: *launches giant house-sized snowball* Victory!

Carlos: Margaret!

Me: *sees snowball and quickly turns to Carlos* Don't worry! Just hold strong! Protect the fort-! *gets smashed by snowball*

Carlos: *anguished cry* NOOOO!

Gardevoir: Surrender!

Carlos: *starts launching snowballs angrily* NEVER!

Me: *starts hollowing out hidey hole beneath giant snowball* Hey guys! Sorry for the late update! Stupid school...haha! Well, since Max and Carlos can't go yet due to snow issues, we decided to have a fight! *evil smile* And I have the perfect plan...**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way. Just my beloved Amber and Melany! ;) And don't forget that plot!**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Blue

"Blue!"

I heard my name being called again, and any thought of Luna suddenly drained away as the familiar voice rang in my ears. My eyes were still closed, and I didn't dare open them in fear that my hopes for its owner would be destroyed. I mean, she was supposed to be in a coma!

"Blue! Wake up!"

The urgency in her voice was enough to convince me to chance it. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I squinted against the harsh light and tried to get them to focus on the face looking down at me.

"Are you alright?! You were yelling in your sleep!"

My jaw went slack as the blurriness cleared, and a pair of worried light green eyes met with my shocked blue ones. She had barely enough time to open her mouth in an attempt to ask something else before I shot up into a sitting position and crushed her in a tight hug.

"Yellow!" My voice was strangled by tears, but I didn't care. I was just so happy to see those bright eyes again.

She froze a second before laughing and hugging me back. "Yes, Blue. It's me."

I gave another cracking laugh into her hair before pulling away and realizing that I was in my room at the Pokemon Center again. Suddenly remembering what had happened before I'd passed out, I lifted my shirt and was surprised to find that there was no wound whatsoever.

I looked at Yellow with wide eyes. "Did you do this?"

For a second, her smile faltered, and she shook her head. "You were already like that when I got to you."

My eyes widened further. "You mean, you were already awake when I got shot?!"

She nodded. "I'm the one who found you. Green was there not long after I was, and we brought you back here."

Glancing past her, I saw that there was no one else in the room even though there was a steady stream of bright sunlight coming in through the window.

"It's about noon so everyone else is getting some lunch," Yellow explained, gently pushing me back against the pillow with a puzzled expression. "I heard you screaming in your sleep so I woke you up. Did you have a nightmare?"

I bit my lip. "Something like that."

She nodded. "Well, they gave you another transfusion last night so the dizziness should have probably worn off by now."

I nodded and smiled at her again. "I'm just so happy to see you awake again."

Yellow's face clouded over for a moment until she looked at a calendar hanging on the wall. "Blue, what day is it?"

My eyes widened before I realized that she hadn't seen daylight for a long time now. "It's July 5th."

Yellow nodded blankly a moment before giving a small laugh. "Looks like I woke up on the fourth of July, didn't I?"

I laughed. "That's a bummer! We never got to set off fireworks this year!"

"I'm sure we can whip something up."

Yellow and I looked up as Silver walked into the room with a plate holding a couple of muffins and an orange juice box which he set on the bedside table before handing me the dish and sitting down in one of the two available chairs. Red was after him, claiming the other for himself, and I watched curiously as Green stalked in behind them both and simply leaned against the wall, bangs shadowing his blank face.

"Really?" I asked the redhead before taking a ravenous bite out of a muffin. "That would be so fun! Plus, it'd be a great way to celebrate Yellow's awakening!"

Red smiled at the idea, and Silver nodded.

I glanced over at Green for his input, but he remained quiet.

My eyebrows creasing lightly, I turned back to the others as Yellow plopped down on the end of my bed, her white dress blending in with the blankets.

"So," she began softly. "I've been asleep for a long time, haven't I?"

Red paused, and Silver and I looked at her gently.

"Yes," I told her. "You first went unconscious on the 24—which was almost two weeks ago."

Her eyes widened. "B-but how am I still alive then? I need to eat and use the restroom and stuff!"

Red took the honor of explaining. "See, we found this green powder in your hair that we think…Amber used on you." He stopped a minute as she stiffened before continuing. "We sent it in to Crystal, and she told us that it had slowed down everything in your body and put you into a coma."

I saw her eyes grow even larger. "That's so strange."

Silver nodded. "It should all start kicking in sooner or later. It may come back all at once though since it's had some time to build up."

Right after he ceased speaking, there was a low growl, and I chuckled as Yellow gave a sheepish smile. "Guess that explains why I'm so hungry. But I don't need to—" Her face twisted up slightly, and she bolted out of the room. "Be right back!"

I laughed at her back, and Red stood up with a smile. "I think I'll go get her something to eat. She'll want it when she gets back from the bathroom."

I gave a soft snort as he walked out and turned my head to Silver. The redhead was watching the brunette in the corner of the room carefully, and I tilted my head as he stood up from his chair.

"I'm going to go do a quick check and make sure everything's still safe on the premises," he declared before striding out of the room.

Everything fell into silence once he stepped out, and I moved my gaze to Green who hadn't even twitched a muscle since he'd walked in.

Sighing as I set down the muffins, I propped myself up on my arms and pushed off the bed, surprised that I felt no burning between my shoulders anymore. Packing the thought away for later, I slowly walked over to where he was leaning against the wall and poked his shoulder.

"Hey," I asked with a puzzled voice. "What's wrong?"

He gave a low chuckle, but it didn't belong with the tight frown present on his face.

"Green," I said, starting to get a little frustrated.

He finally lifted his head, and I almost took a step back from the angry turmoil I found swimming in his eyes.

"You should know."

His voice was so soft that I almost mistook it for someone else's. He stood up straight and stiff and stalked past me, his black jacket gently brushing my shoulder. Whipping around, I grabbed his hand and forced him to stop.

"Green! Where are you going?"

He didn't move for a moment, his face hidden to me as I was behind him, but as soon as he turned around, I almost wished he hadn't.

"I'm done, Blue," he almost growled, looking down tensely. "I've tried my best to keep you safe, but I can't keep doing this. Watching you hurt yourself then waiting in fear to see if you manage to live through it again. I'm sorry, but…" His fist clenched slightly under my hold. "I can't take it anymore."

My eyes widened, and I locked my gaze with his fiery one as he looked up.

"Well, it's not like I ever asked you to keep an eye on 24/7," I told him frostily.

He narrowed his eyes, pulling his hand from mine. "Well, it's not like you should be throwing yourself headfirst into danger everyday anyway."

My fingers curled unconsciously, and I took a step towards him. "What's your deal? Why can't you just accept the fact that I'm going to get hurt?"

"Because I can't, okay?!" He exploded. Giving an angry sigh, he held his face in a hand.

Tilting my head curiously, the tension in my fists lessened a little, and I walked until we were standing face to face.

"Green, are you alright?" His eyes widened from behind his fingers. "It seems like something's bothering you."

He scoffed and removed his hand. "Yeah, your ill sense of self-preservation."

I shook my head slowly. "No…there's something else. Isn't there?"

He froze for a moment before recovering and walking over to the bed. One hand in his pocket, he used the other to pick up my white hat from the nightstand and observe it with wide, puzzled eyes. I paused myself when I recognized that look. It was the same one Red had when we were younger and he was just beginning to understand his feelings for Yellow.

I creased my eyebrows in thought as he set the hat down and looked out the window. _Why would Green look like he was dealing with a similar dilemma?_

I saw his fingers lingering over my hat and stiffened as I realized just what it was.

Green heard me go silent and turned around in curiosity only to freeze when he saw my wide eyes.

"Green," I said quietly.

He didn't answer, but I could see his eyes grow wide like mine.

Before I could stop myself, the same words I'd asked him only a couple of weeks ago came tumbling from my mouth again, though there was no humor in my voice as there had been then.

"Do you actually _care_ about me?"

I watched as he became immobilized and remembered the last time I'd said that inside the TR tracker. Reverting back to myself for a second, I waited in hidden amusement for him to start blushing like he'd done at that time, but my eyes grew in shock as he suddenly turned his head away with a set jaw. His bangs had fallen to conceal his conflicting eyes, and he was trembling slightly as if fighting some kind of internal war.

My eyebrows creased in confusion, and I reached a hand out to him.

But that seemed to be the moment when he broke.

"Why…" He began, his voice almost a low whisper. "Why would I care about _you_?"

I froze. "What?"

He narrowed his eyes. "All you ever do is bother me, dragging me along with you wherever you go and just causing me trouble!" His voice was loud with frustration, but for some reason, it seemed as if it wasn't directed at me but more his own self.

He let out an angry sigh of disbelief like he was trying more to convince himself rather than me. "How could I ever care about you?"

There was a moment of silence, and I didn't notice that my teeth had clenched until they pierced my lip, and a drop of boiling blood surfaced. My voice was like a low motor as I said, "Well I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had become such a nuisance."

He frowned. "How could you not?! What with how many transfusions Red's had to give you, I'd have thought you'd caught on by now!"

"It's not my fault, okay?!" I yelled at him.

His green eyes flashed. "It is too your fault! Every time you've gotten yourself hurt, help was nearby. For Entei's sake, I was always only a phone call away! But you refuse to let me help you!"

I closed my eyes and shook my head, not wanting to hear this. "You know what, why don't you just go?! Then you won't have to worry about me anymore!"

He bared his teeth before whipping around and stalking for the door. "Fine! I guess I was only wasting my time with you anyway!"

He slammed the door shut behind him, and I gave an angry huff as the sound echoed in my ears. _He just doesn't get it!_

Looking for some way to vent my fury, I grabbed a muffin off the plate on the nightstand and bit into it, completely forgetting about the paper and just taking a bite. When it caught in my throat, I coughed angrily and threw the rest of it into the waste bin.

Crossing my arms, I started pacing the room, my feet restless as they continued to turn back and forth. I was so caught up in my mind of rage that I didn't even notice the door opening again.

Yellow gave a sigh and sweatdropped as she shut it behind her. "Wow, I didn't know I could hold that much…" She turned and saw my fuming form, pausing mid-step. "Blue, what's wrong?"

"That idiot!" I raged to no one in particular. "He doesn't understand at all!"

"Blue!" Yellow told me, walking over and holding her hands up. "Calm down. What happened?"

I didn't answer her question, though, only picking another muffin up and biting again. The blond-haired girl could easily see the tension in my shoulders and frowned slightly.

"Why don't we just sit down for a minute?" She suggested, leading me over to a chair. I collapsed into it obediently and refolded my arms. Tilting her head and putting a hand to her chin, she observed me carefully for a moment until the door opened again and Red walked in with another plate of muffins.

"Hey, Yellow, I—" He caught sight of me in the chair, and his eyebrows creased. "What's going on?"

Yellow took the plate from him and frowned slightly. "I think something happened with Green. I saw him down the hallway from here when I was on my way back."

Red blinked once before nodding and getting ready to head back out of the room. "I'll go find him."

Yellow gave him a small smile and shut the door behind the boy as he set off. Walking back over to where I sat glaring daggers at the wall, she picked up my own muffins and made me take them before settling into the other chair with her own.

"How about we start by filling me in on everything I've missed."

* * *

I sat in the Pokemon Center lobby on one of the comfortable couches trying to read the day's newspaper, but my mind was so full that the words seemed to blur together into a jumble of meaningless syllables. My hands gripped the paper with fists as tight and rigid as my Rhydon's hide, yet at the same time they felt as loose and unstable as a mountain of pudding.

Throwing the paper down on the table, I placed my chin in my hands and elbows on my knees as I stared angrily ahead at nothing in particular. The few people who had been walking into my line of vision caught sight of my tense stature and hurried out of the way of my glare.

_This is _not _my fault. If that pesky girl just didn't insist on heading straight into danger all the time…_

I shook my head, but the look on her face before I left her room faded into my thoughts, and I shut my eyes, biting my lip sharply as I leaned back against the couch.

"Hey."

I blinked and looked up to see Red staring down at me with narrowed eyes.

"What'd you do?"

I huffed and closed my eyes again. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I felt him sit down on the couch beside me but only crossed my arms.

"Come on," he sighed. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I replied tersely. "I'm just fine."

"Yeah, well, Blue's not so I'm staying until I get an actual answer."

I opened my eyes slowly at that and looked down.

Red saw my hidden confliction and tilted his head. "Seriously; why are you acting like this?"

I turned my eyes to his for a moment and saw that he was genuinely confused. Giving a sigh, I facepalmed. "To be honest, I really don't know. Blue's not my responsibility so I shouldn't have to worry about her!"

Red paused a moment. "But you do anyway, don't you?"

I did the same and nodded, reluctant to admit it. "Yeah, I do. A lot." My fist clenched. "But she keeps insisting on hurting herself, and I don't know what to do! It's like she's doing it on purpose just to make me worry!"

Red looked at me quietly with wide eyes. "I don't think she's doing it because of that, Green."

I raised an eyebrow. "I know she's trying to keep everyone safe, but she doesn't have to be so reckless!"

The black-haired boy shrugged. "That's just who she is. You can't change that."

"No, but she could at least try," I muttered.

Red shook his head. "Why are you so upset about this? Not even half a year ago, we saved Deoxys from Giovanni, got turned into stone by Sird, _and_ defeated Guile Hideout's giant sea monster at the Battle Frontier with the other Pokedex Holders. What we're dealing with now hasn't quite reached any of those levels yet." His eyes narrowed softly. "So why do you make it seem like it has?"

I didn't say anything for a moment. He had a point. We'd all been through worse than running from a group of villains who wanted Yellow for some reason. So, why was I worrying this much about Blue? Okay, I'll admit I'd always been concerned for her welfare like all my friends, but now…

My eyes shut tightly as memories flashed through my mind.

Blue cut up and bleeding like she'd been through a downpour of knives.

Blue screaming as she was carried away by an army of viruses.

Blue almost…dead.

My jaw clenched as the flashbacks brought a strange warmth to my eyes. Blinking fast, I almost recoiled in shock when something hit my hand, and I realized that it was a tear.

Then it suddenly made sense.

Red's eyes widened. "Are you…?" I saw it click in his brain, too, and shook my head as his mouth dropped open. "Green…you…you lo—"

"No!" I sprang off the couch, wiping furiously at my eyes. "I do not!"

Red stood up and reached a hand out. "Green, it's okay if you—"

"No! I don't!" I yelled again, causing a few heads to turn.

Red smiled nervously at them and pulled me into the back hallways that led to Yellow and Blue's rooms. I was too shocked to do anything but follow, and I didn't move when he set me against the hall and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Green, it's really not that bad," he said as if walking on eggshells.

I shook my head adamantly, and my face fell into my hands.

He gave a small chuckle. "How's it feel being on the end of realization this time around?"

I lifted my eyes up to glare at him, but I was still so shocked that it only came out as a confused look.

His eyes softened in bewilderment. "Why is it so hard for you to believe?"

"Believe what?"

Red whipped around to see that Silver had suddenly appeared behind him with slightly creased eyebrows. Looking over the older boy's shoulder, the redhead saw my frozen form leaning against the wall and nodded with a sigh.

"So he's finally realized it," Silver said with a knowing voice.

I stared at him as Red tilted his head. "You knew?"

Silver nodded. "It's not that hard to see. Besides, I care a lot about Nee-san. So, I can tell when somebody else does, too."

My eyes widened at him, and I snapped up off the wall with another shake of my head. "No, I don't-!"

Silver took one step forward and glared right into my eyes, cutting off the rest of my sentence. I glared back at him for a moment before giving a light huff and stalking off down the winding corridors.

Red and Silver stared after me until the black-haired boy sighed. "I don't see why he's taking this so difficultly."

Silver's face went blank with thought. "Red?"

"Yeah?"

"How many times has Green had to deal with a girl?"

The capped boy's face slowly dawned with understanding. "Never."

Silver nodded. "Do you get it now? Green-senpai is a Gym Leader and a researcher. He's always been able to plan out everything and find all the answers. Plus, he has basically no experience with the female gender. For once, he has no idea what to do."

The redhead watched as I disappeared around a corner at the far end of the hall.

"And he doesn't know how to handle it."

* * *

I leaned back in my chair as Yellow went to take our plates down to the cafeteria. It'd taken some long hours to fill her in on all that she'd missed, but now the girl was all caught up. The hotel hunting, the midnight fire, Mrs. Sage and Copycat, Kathy, our talk with Crystal, Black and White going home with their Eevees…all of it. She'd taken it quite well, but I could tell that it was a lot to absorb after being unconscious for almost two weeks.

As the door shut behind her, an image of Green suddenly flashed in my mind, and I could feel my blood boiling again. Immediately I searched for something to distract myself with. I had just managed to calm down after talking with Yellow for a while, and it might be better if I stayed that way.

Grimacing as I tried to force his face from my brain, I looked around the room and noticed the early afternoon sun turning the blankets on my bed from light blue to gold. My eyes widened a smidge, and any thought of Green left as a certain pair of bright eyes came to mind.

"Luna," I whispered in shock.

My past with the Mask of Ice was something that I would never forget. As a child, it was too traumatizing for me not to remember. Silver was too young to recall anything, but I had been old enough to do just that.

However, I knew for a fact that nothing in my dream about Luna had ever happened.

There were just too many points that didn't fit with the story I knew. For one, the Masked Man had only kidnapped four children—Will and Karen had willingly joined him. Not _fifty_. I shook my head. That would have been impossible for him to do. Surely that many disappearances in that short amount of time would have been noticed! The police could have easily traced it all back to Pryce, but I knew he wasn't dumb enough to set himself up for failure like that.

_Besides…_I put a hand to my chin. _What had he done with the ones he no longer needed? Yes, he could have easily just disposed of them, but then he would have had a mountain of murders to deal with as well. And knowing him, he wanted to do things as unnoticed as possible. _I bit my lip. _As unnoticed as Luna's disappearance. _

I closed my eyes and shook my head. There was something about her I knew. In the dream, I hadn't realized it as we had been meeting for the first time, but back in reality, I detected a sense of familiarity from her.

I grabbed my forgotten carton of orange juice from the nightstand and popped it open as I went through my clues. Luna had light blonde hair, her first Pokemon (I assumed) was a Venonat, she had quite the temper at times, and she could be pretty darn sneaky when she wanted to. I looked up at the ceiling and took a drink. But who would I know that would fit that description—

The orange juice came spitting from my mouth, and I choked as answer hit me.

The door opened again, and Yellow walked in just as my coughing fit subsided.

"Whoa," she said, looking at the spray of juice on the floor.

I gave another light hack and stood up. "Bad spit take."

She nodded and grabbed a tissue box to start cleaning it up. Bending down, I helped her, and together we silently wiped up the orange staining the white linoleum floor.

"I'd ask what caused this," she chuckled lightly, "But we don't have time for that."

I tilted my head as we finished and threw the soaked tissues in the trash. "How so?"

She clicked her tongue and wiped her hands off. "Well, Silver said it doesn't look like Melany and Amber are around anywhere so he thinks it might be a good idea if we all went out for dinner. You know, to help de-stress a bit."

I paused. "All of us?"

She nodded.

I narrowed my eyes. "Sounds fun."

Yellow

The tension was so thick that everyone at the table could have reached out and touched it.

That is, except for the two brunettes who were too busy glaring at each other across the table.

"So," I said softly from behind my tall menu. "What should we order?"

Since Red had to drag Green here and Silver Blue, it had been up to me to choose which restaurant we were going to. Melany and Amber were still a present threat so I had decided on a small place just down the street from the Pokemon Center that was famous for its delicious desert.

I could only hope that we'd last that long, though.

Our six person table was set near one of the front windows so we could look out at the street, the glass pane at Silver's back as he sat on one side and Red and I opposite him. Green was on Red's left at the one end of the table, and Blue was on Silver's, exactly opposite of the emerald-eyed brunette.

Green huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, we shouldn't be _risking_ being seen anyway so let's just go with a big extravagant dinner that will totally let Amber and Melany know where we are. Perhaps they can join us before all hell breaks loose."

Blue narrowed her eyes. "Oh no, that would only bother them. Let's not _waste our time_ with it and just go home."

Green glared at her. "Oh, but I'm just trying to be _helpful_ and give Yellow a suggestion."

The girl's white hat bounced as she laughed sarcastically. "Well I—"

"Let's just go with the Saturday Special," Silver said lowly, cutting them off with a glare.

The brunettes only glared at each other again before scoffing and looking away. Silver shook his head, and I leaned over towards Red hesitantly.

"How bad do you think their fight was?" I whispered nervously.

Red frowned uncertainly. "Judging by the extra level of biting acerbity, I'd say worse than usual."

I bit my lip and watched them cautiously until a waitress came to take our order. Silver politely told her our choice, and she left the tray with our drinks to go put in the request. As she walked away, Green got out of his chair to pass out the glasses. Blue, however, had already jumped out of her seat so their hands met the tray at the same time, eliciting another burning stare between the two.

"I've got this," the green-eyed boy told her, his voice coated in fake sweetness. "I don't need _help_."

Blue only smiled at him and took the tray. "That's alright. It's no _trouble_."

Green bristled slightly but sat back down as she passed out the glasses. Once done, she set the tray in front of her, and Silver started talking as to avoid another argument. "So, Yellow, how does it feel to be awake again?"

I looked nervously between Green and Blue as they started glaring again. "Well, it's a lot better than the world of dark I had been in before."

"I'll bet," Red said cheerfully. I smiled at his attempt to brighten the mood, but it did nothing to affect the two brooding brunettes.

"I-I just hope I haven't caused any problems," I stuttered out, hoping it was the right thing to say.

It wasn't.

"Oh no," Blue said with a flick of her wrist. "It's been no trouble at all."

Green bared his teeth a little, and Blue narrowed her eyes. "Besides, I believe I got you caught up on everything."

The forest-eyed boy raised an eyebrow as the meal arrived, and Blue's drink tray was traded for our plates. "Oh? And what exactly did you catch her up on?"

"You know," Blue said absentmindedly, watching her food as she took a bite, "All that's happened to us since we left the Viridian Gym."

He took a drink. "Really? And you even mentioned jumping out of a burning building?"

Blue swallowed angrily and grit her teeth. "Yes. Why wouldn't I?"

He held his hands up and smirked cheekily, something quite unusual for him. "Just wanted to make sure you hadn't left out any details."

I saw Blue tense and bit my lip. She wasn't lying. She'd told me all that had occurred, from the hotel jump to getting shot by Melany. She'd even been having nightmares about the Masked Man again.

I paused as I was about to take a bite of my dinner and that ocean taste from yesterday swept across my tongue again. I was surprised that it'd come back and this time with a sharp rage that coursed through me and made my blood boil. Shaking my head, I reached forward to grab the salt container and brushed Green's hand as he went for the pepper. I dropped my fork when the salty tang suddenly transformed into an earthy, forest taste. It reminded me of the bright green oak leaves that hung on the trees this time of year, but the uncontainable anger that came with it certainly did not match the peaceful giants.

"Yellow?" Red asked with scrunched eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

I drew my hand back from Green's, and the earthy taste washed away from my tongue. I looked up at Red's expectant face and contemplated how exactly I was going to tell him about this new development. "Well, I'm not sure how to describe it…"

His soft eyes beckoned me on, and I cleared my throat tentatively.

"But…I think I've somehow acquired the ability to…taste…people's feelings."

Red and Silver openly stared, and even Green and Blue interrupted their glaring to look at me with wide eyes.

"What?" The black-haired boy said astonished. "What do you mean…_taste_?"

I shifted uncomfortably at the attention but gave a sigh. "Well, when I woke up, I got this odd sensation like the ocean on my tongue, and along with it came this excruciating pain in my stomach. I followed the taste, and eventually, I found Blue in the alley."

The aqua-eyed girl's face morphed into shock. "So, you can feel what other people do?"

I nodded, and Silver tilted his head. "And they each have a specific taste? Like a nametag?"

I nodded again. "I'm pretty sure Blue was the ocean, and when I was unconsciousness, it happened two more times." I looked over at Red. "One was when I saw your face. It was like a mixture of Cheri Berries and mint." He smiled a minute before freezing at my next words. "And then I saw Amber, and it was the same thing except there was ferns instead of mint."

The red-eyed boy looked down at his plate, and I clicked my tongue again before looking at Green. "And I believe yours is the forest."

The brown-haired boy's eyes widened, and Silver leaned forward on his hands. "So what's my taste?"

"I-I don't know," I told him honestly. "It normally just happens at random. I can make it go away, but I'm not sure if I can purposefully make it happen."

"Try," he encouraged me. "Knowing you, it might be another one of your Viridian powers."

My eyes widened. "Do you think so?"

He nodded. "I don't see why not. You can heal anything and telepathically move small objects like your Rod's Pokeball. So what's another power added to the mix?"

I nodded slowly, closing my eyes to try it. I sent my mind out like I'd done while flying with Kitty to find Blue's taste again, and just like then, there was nothing but the same ocean tang.

"I'm sorry," I said apologetically, "but all I'm getting is Blue's ocean."

Silver narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. So how were you able to taste Red and Green and even Amber?"

I looked down in surprise. "I have no idea. When I was unconscious, I was surrounded by nothing but darkness. I couldn't feel or think or do anything. Then there was this warmth in my hand. I tasted Cheri Berries and mint, and suddenly I was overcome with worry. After that, I was hugging Amber." Red tensed, but I didn't stop to notice it. "The mint changed to ferns, and the worry became sorrow. I think I broke down and started yelling which brought back that warmth and the mint, changing the sorrow to peace. Then came Blue's taste, and I woke up."

Red looked at Green who nodded. "That must have been the night she was screaming, and you held her, Red."

I nodded, and Silver put a hand to his chin. "Okay…so both times you were with Red and Amber…you were somehow touching them…right?"

I blinked. "Yeah, I was." I glanced at Green. "And just now, I tasted the forest when I hit your hand."

Silver nodded. "Then it looks like you can only use this power when you come into contact with the person."

"What about me then?" Blue chipped in. "I was nowhere near her when she woke up."

"You're right," I agreed, still tasting ocean and feeling her rage that had dissolved into excited interest in my new power. "Yet, I can still sense what your emotions are."

"Maybe it's not only direct but indirect contact," Silver suggested. "Do you have something of hers with you?"

I shook my head. "Not that I can recall."

Blue thought a moment before holding up a finger. "The shoes!"

Red tilted his head. "Shoes?"

She nodded quickly. "I lent her the heels she's wearing right now for White's party!"

"That's right!" I said, realizing that I was still in my white Grecian dress as well.

Silver gave a nod. "I'll bet that's it then." He held out a hand. "So how about we see what my taste is?"

Seeing the gesture, I reached my own hand out and touched the black material of his glove. Pushing the ocean taste away, I allowed room for another one to take its place. I was quite shocked to find that it was much like Blue's only without the salty tang.

"It's like…rain," I said in surprise. It wasn't at all what I would have thought his taste would be, but after getting to know him better and seeing how calm he could be at times, it made sense.

Red raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's not what I was expecting."

Silver shook his head. "Me either."

Green nodded in agreement, and Blue smiled. "Well, I'm happy with this new development! It sure saved my butt!"

I laughed at her as I pulled my hand back from Silver's but stopped a moment later when I realized that Green was shooting daggers at her again from across the table.

I sweatdropped. _And they were doing so well…_

"She wouldn't have had to save your butt if you hadn't gotten yourself shot," Green said lowly, eyes trained on the girl as her smile froze and slowly curved down.

"Melany and Amber were right there!" She yelled across the table. "What was I supposed to do? Just walk away and leave them there?!"

"Well you certainly didn't have to run into the path of a bullet!" Green shouted heatedly back at her.

"I didn't mean to get hurt!" She screamed indignantly.

"Guys—" Red tried to say before Green cut him off.

"You never mean to, Blue!" His fist clenched on the table. "But you do anyway! And it's because you never let me help you!"

"I never asked for your help in the first place!" She stood angrily from her chair, the meal long forgotten. "It's not like I need some guardian to watch over me day and night!"

"Looking back at your latest history of injuries, I'd beg to differ!" Green got to his feet as well and stared with wide eyes at her. "Why won't you just let me help you?!"

Blue snapped her eyes shut immediately. "No!"

Green's eyes widened in shock as she shook her head. His hung his head, bangs shadowing his face as her shoulders started trembling.

"You just don't understand!"

Red and Silver stared at the two's shared exclamation, and I held a hand up to them as they separately stormed out of the restaurant and back to the Pokemon Center.

Giving a sigh, Red put down his fork. "So much for dessert."

I looked over at Silver as he got up and paid the bill. "We should leave."

Turning around, I saw that the waitresses had seen Green and Blue's fight and were considering calling the cops. It had only been a shout-fest, but they had no idea of knowing what that would lead to.

I nodded and gathered my dress in my hands as we filed out of the building. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

I found Blue back in her room, angrily making her bed.

"Alright," I said with a hint of sternness as I shut the door behind me. "I think that was a little uncalled for."

"He's the one who started it!" She shrieked.

I held up a hand. "Still. If you two won't talk about it, then there's no use fighting over it."

She shook her head. "He's being stingy about my lack of dependence. That's all there is."

I frowned uncertainly. "I'm not sure that's the whole story. I mean, maybe you _don't _understand."

"No! He's the one who doesn't understand!"

"Understand what, Blue?"

She stopped mid-retort and snapped her jaw shut.

"The fact that you never call on him for help because you don't want to see him get hurt? That you actually do care about what happens to him?"

Her eyes widened, and she frowned, stalking off to the little bathroom on the far end of the room that I hadn't noticed until now. Following her, I leaned against the edge of the doorframe as she washed her hands from supper.

"You know, this probably isn't the best way of going about it," I told her quietly.

"Well it's all I can do right now," she sighed. "He won't even consider letting me fight on my own!"

"You can't exactly blame him. You've been hurt quite a lot recently," I pointed out.

"It just doesn't make sense why he would insist on keeping me from harm like this," she muttered, turning off the water and sighing. "Besides, there're things like my nightmares that he has no power over whatsoever."

I tilted my head. "That's right. You said you'd been dreaming about the Masked Man again."

She nodded slowly and bit her lip. "And I had another one last night."

My eyes widened. "So that's why you were screaming in your sleep."

She took a step back towards the shower on the other side of the small room to give me space to enter and sit on the floor. "It was such a strange dream. I think it was a memory like the others had been, but it was much longer and more detailed, and the weird part is, I don't remember any of it actually happening."

"What was it about?" I asked her.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall as she sat beside me. "Pryce had kidnapped fifty kids instead of four, and there was this girl I met named Luna. She was my partner."

My eyebrows scrunched. "But how could he have done that without getting caught? And I thought Silver was your partner!"

She nodded. "Exactly. And I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but Luna seemed a lot like…"

Her voice trailed off in disbelief, and I turned my head to her. "Like who?"

She swallowed uncertainly. "Melany."

My breath caught in my throat. "W-what?"

She opened her eyes and counted off on her fingers. "Luna had long light blonde hair that could have been cut like Melany's, she was very cunning and semi-rageful, and her first Pokemon was a Venonat."

"Which evolves into Venomoth," I whispered. Blue nodded, and I held my hands up. "B-but this was just a dream! There's no way that could have actually happened!"

"I don't know," she said uncertainly. "I fought with her outside your house the other week, and she knew the same fighting technic that I had learned in both real life and the dream."

I blinked fast. This couldn't be right. How could _Melany _of all people be someone Blue, supposedly, used to know?!

"Wait," I stopped her, remembering something I'd noticed when I'd found Blue in the alley yesterday. "Did Luna have…powers? L-like mine?"

Blue's eyes widened as she turned to me. "Yeah, she did. How did you know that?"

All the wind in my lungs rushed out in shock. "B-because, when I finally got to you yesterday, Melany had been by your side, and when she left, I found that you had already been healed!"

Blue gasped. "You can't be serious!"

Melany's final words came back to me, and I nodded. "Yes, and she told me to, 'listen to the signs' and that she would help me learn how to control them."

"Listen to the signs…" Blue murmured. "Wait. Didn't you say that your taste power had just started when you were looking for me?"

I froze, my blood running cold. "Yes, I did."

Blue turned to me with wide eyes. "Then, that means that she knew about it the whole time!"

I slowly looked up at the ceiling. "Normally, only people with the Viridian powers can recognize those of others so that would mean that Melany…"

Blue thought about it a moment and shook her head vigorously. "That's not right! Melany is not Luna!"

"Blue," I said ruefully. "We need to consider all the possibilities."

"No," she waved her hands. "I mean, she _can't _be Luna. Luna's eyes weren't blue! They were gold!"

My eyebrows knitted together. "Gold? Then how is it possible that she's so much like Melany?"

Blue shrugged hesitantly. "I-I'm not sure. But for some reason, I don't think it was just a dream. I think…I think it might have actually happened."

I shook my head and stood up to clear it, walking over to the sink set against the far wall with my back to the rest of the room. "But that doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't you remember something as significant as that?"

Blue came to my side as I began washing my hands. "I have absolutely no idea."

My eyes found a stubborn speck of dirt beneath of my nails, and I scrubbed harder. "Well, whatever is going on here, it seems as though Melany knows more than she's telling us."

"It's not like she's been telling us anything in the first place," Blue said sarcastically.

I nodded, scowling lightly when the dirt wouldn't come out. "True. Hey, is there a pair of tweezers in here?"

The brunette looked in the mirror above the sink but came out empty-handed. "I don't think so. Why, what's wrong?"

I bit my tongue and turned the water off, scratching under my nail at the speck. "I think I've got a tiny rock or something stuck in my finger."

Blue lifted the digit up to examine it before sliding her own long nail beneath my own to extract the debris. When she caught hold of it, I let out a cry as she pulled and it held fast to my skin. Seeing my reaction, she loosened up and frowned.

"Man, it's really wedged in there," she murmured.

I nodded, and she suddenly tugged on it without warning, ripping it out from under my nail before I could even register what was happening. The skin burned where the dirt had been, and I winced as I ran it under the water again.

"Well that sure was a persistent grain of soil," I commented before realizing that she'd gone silent and looked over at the girl to see her staring at what she'd pulled out. "Blue? What is it?"

The girl's eyes were two large blue marbles. "This isn't dirt, Yellow."

I felt my eyes widen. "What?"

She clenched her teeth and crushed the black dot between her fingers. To my surprise, it made a strange crackling noise, and she threw it in the trash can.

"It was a homing device."

She scoffed to herself and facepalmed. "I can't believe it. But that does explain why they've been able to locate us so quickly these past few weeks."

I froze, the sound of the faucet still going until Blue angrily slammed it off.

"H-how could she have done that?!" I cried out in disbelief. "She's never gotten near me!"

"How, you ask?"

Blue and I tensed immediately at the voice. Ever so slowly, we turned around in fear to find exactly what—or whom to be exact—we'd been hoping not to standing in bathroom doorway.

Melany smirked, her Venomoth's purple wings poking out from behind her black T-shirt.

"Well, why don't you just ask me yourself?"

* * *

Max: *throws another snowball* He's weakening! I just know it!

Gardevoir: *holds up megaphone* CARLOS: THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. SURRENDER NOW!

Carlos: *fires multiple snowballs from marshmallow shooter* I won't! You took down Margaret, and now I'm taking you down!

Max: *ducks behind fort*

Gardevoir: *does the same* Don't worry! He'll crack soon enough! *hurls snowball* Give it up!

Me: *pops up from snow in front of Carlos and runs behind fort*

Carlos: Margaret! You're alive!

Me: *grins* And ready to win this battle! *turns to giant snowball that first took me down* NOW! ELECTRODE, EXPLOSION!

Max & Gardevoir: WHAT?!

BOOM!

Max & Gardevoir: *buried under mountain of snow from Explosion*

Me: *runs out from protection of fort and returns Electrode to Pokeball* Revenge!

Carlos: *jumping in joy* WE WON!

Max: *crawls out of giant snow bank* Holy Mother of Mew.

Gardevoir: *teleports out onto snow-covered yard* And I thought you'd been distracted by the chocolate!

Me: Gasp! That sounds so good right now! *runs inside to make hot chocolate*

Max, Carlos, & Gardevoir: *sweatdrop*

Me: Le gasp! Okay, so I know a lot of you guys already assumed that Luna was Melany, but I'm surprised nobody noticed the eye color difference. Well, except for one person. Cookie for you, Rippy! XD Anyways! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Looking forward to hopefully updating on Valentine's Day! Haha! Review and return!


	15. Chapter 15: Mint or Fern?

Me: Hehehe *runs up to Max with a heart-shaped cookie* Maxy! Look what I made you for Valentine's Day!

Carlos: *sees cookie* Gimme! *jumps for cookie but I pull it away*

Me: NO!

Gardevoir: Geez, is it some special cookie or something?

Me: *evil smile* I made it just for Max.

Max: *sweatdrop* Aye, just give it to me. *takes cookie and eats it*

Me: *grins when it's gone and turns her around to look at Carlos* So? Do you love it?

Max: *goes expressionless and walks over to Carlos* No...I love...*looks at Carlos before turning around hugging me* You!

Me: WHAT?! NO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY CARLOS!

Gardevoir & Carlos: What?

Me: *squirms in hug* I made a special batch of cookies that had a special love potion. It would make her fall in love with the first person she saw after eating it! *glares at Carlos* Which was him!

Gardevoir: Give me a second. *Goes to look for potion bottle*

Me: *growls as Max hugs tighter* Let go of me! **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way. Nor do I want this excess hugging! STOP IT MAX!**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Blue

Yellow and I stood petrified, staring as Melany grinned at us from our only means of escape.

"So?" She prompted with a smirk. "What was it you wanted to ask me?"

Yellow's mouth was flapping open like a Magikarp, but I clenched my teeth and took a step towards her. "What are you doing here?!"

She scoffed. "That's not exactly what I thought you wanted to ask me."

I crossed my arms. "Alright then. Let's start with question one. How were you able to put a tracker on Yellow? There's never been a moment of opportunity for you to do that." I sweatdropped. "Especially with Red around."

Yellow titled her head slightly, and Melany proceeded to slyly shut the door behind her, leaning against it to show us that we weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Raising an eyebrow gently, she turned to Yellow. "So you never told them did you?"

Confusion lit Yellow's eyes, and I narrowed mine. "Told us what?"

The girl only smirked more. "About our little rendezvous."

The puzzled look left Yellow's face as she frowned uncertainly. "You told me not to say anything, remember?"

"Ah!" Melany shook her head with a wave of her finger. "I only said not to tell them so that we wouldn't be interrupted. There was no reason to keep it a secret afterwards."

"Keep what a secret?" I snapped at the blue-eyed blonde, my frustration mounting.

"It doesn't matter anyways," Yellow grumbled as she crossed her arms. "It's not like you kept your word."

Melany's face broke out into a wide grin. "Oh, but I did!"

"Like Lugia you did!" Yellow protested. "You said you'd leave us—"

"No," Melany interjected, drawing out the word. Her Venomoth flitted up and sat on her head. "If I remember correctly, I said, 'I'll give my chasing a rest.' I never specified how long." The girl winked. "And if my facts are right, you had a nice day off before our fun little party adventures."

Yellow grit her teeth. "You tricked me!"

Melany shrugged and scoffed with a smile. "Hey, at least you didn't lose."

I stepped forward. "Lose what?" I thought about it a moment before turning to Yellow with creased eyebrows. "You two had a battle?" Yellow nodded hesitantly, and my eyes widened. "When did this happen?!"

"It was back at the movie shooting that White got Pika and Chuchu into," she explained with a sigh. "The one where Amber and I had to fill in." I could tell she was remembering their kiss when she began blushing madly.

Melany smirked. "After she was done with her fun," she laughed at the rhyme, "She went out to the cape to meet me."

I tilted my head at Yellow. "Why would you do that?"

She glanced over at Melany with narrowed eyes. "She made me a deal. If I could beat her in battle, then she'd stop coming after us." She frowned as Melany smiled. "But I guess I didn't pay attention to details."

Melany let out a short laugh, but I shook my head. "So, you won?"

Yellow nodded. "But I don't understand how she could've gotten a tracker under my nail."

We turned our heads as Melany stretched and leaned back on the door again, the Venomoth shifting atop her head in sync with her movements. "So you don't remember falling off the cliff?"

I stiffened, and Yellow's eyes widened. "That's right; in the middle of the battle, I hadn't realized I was so close until I took a step back and there was nothing there." Her eyes clouded in thought before she cocked her head slightly at Melany. "You did it when you saved me and pulled me back up, didn't you?"

The pixie-cut blonde nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. "Smart girl."

Turning to her, I raised an eyebrow. "And now that that problem has been solved, I return to my previous question: What are you doing here?!"

She chuckled lightly. "Do you even need to ask? Surely you could figure it out by now."

I scoffed in annoyance. "Yes, but maybe you could tell us _why_ for once."

Melany's soft laughing subsided, and she gave a light sigh. "You guys always ask the same thing."

"Hm, I wonder why?" I said sarcastically.

She laughed again. "I guess you better keep wondering then."

I raised an eyebrow as she continued to avoid the question. "Alright, since you won't elaborate further, perhaps you could answer something else for me."

She gestured for me to go on, and my eyes narrowed almost instantly.

"How do you know me?"

Melany's face morphed into shock for half a moment before going blank. "Why would you ask something like that?"

Yellow leaned against the sink to watch from the sidelines, and I took another step closer to Melany who I could see was rooted to the spot.

"Oh, it's just that, you kind of called yourself an old friend of mine so it makes me wonder," I told her sourly.

Her face remained carefully devoid of any expression. "How do you know I wasn't just saying that to calm you down?"

I looked at her like she was crazy. "How in the world would something like that from someone like you calm me down?!"

She shrugged. "You'd be surprised at how people react to things."

I shook my head. "So you don't know me?"

The frown on her face only grew, and I watched curiously as she looked down. "You guys ask a lot of questions, you know?"

Again I noticed how she dodged the question, and Yellow took the moment of silence as an opportunity to surprise her with an inquiry of her own.

"Melany, were you by any chance born in the Viridian Forest?" She asked quietly.

Once more, Melany froze before breaking out into laughe.

"What is this?" She said with an amused smile. "An interrogation?" Her laughter began to subside, and she lifted off the door. "It's about time we got down to business." She made a move forward, and I quickly stood in front of Yellow.

"No," I said lowly.

The bemused expression left her deep blue eyes, and she sighed. "Come on. This has gone on long enough. Just give it up."

I bared my teeth. "Never. Besides, I could say the same thing to you and expect a similar answer, no?"

She smiled slightly. "Touché."

Her hand went for her pocket, and I watched carefully as she pulled out a black Pokegear.

"That's a cool design," I smiled before I could stop myself. "I've never seen a black one like that."

"Yeah," Yellow agreed curiously. "Amber has the same one, too. Where did you get it?"

Melany paused, and for some reason, I saw her eyes glaze over as if she were recalling an old memory. Giving a small smile to herself, she punched in a number. "Let's just say it was a group thing between us and a friend."

I'm not sure why, but Yellow froze beside me. "What friend?"

But Melany had already hit the speaker button, and all three of us went silent as someone picked up.

"Melany?" Amber's voice was hushed and puzzled. "What is it?"

Yellow's eyes widened, and she turned away. Melany watched her with a blank face before responding. "You were right. They're not cooperating."

A sigh came from the other end of the line. "I tried to tell you. They're not just going to give her up."

My teeth clenched. "You got that right!"

His surprised silence was audible to everyone in the bathroom. "Blue? Are you there, too?"

I stomped over until I was looming over the dark Pokegear. "Of course I am!"

He sighed again. "Alright, Melany. I'm on my way."

"Leave Dave and Ken at their posts," she told him. "They should be able to deal with the escape control."

Amber let her know that he'd heard her before ending the call. Giving a small nod, she slid the Pokegear back into her pocket, and I reclaimed my spot next to Yellow who was still staring at the floor.

"So, they actually have names?" I asked her sarcastically. "Your little henchmen?"

She blinked in surprise. "Of course. I don't just treat them like tools. I _am_ human."

I scoffed. "Right. I find that a little hard to believe."

Melany's eyebrows creased, and she was about to say something when Yellow's head whipped up. Her eyes were filled with turmoil, and the petite girl looked at me with a sorrowful expression.

"Just because she's not doing the right thing doesn't mean she's not a good person."

The small bathroom fell into echoing silence, and Melany and I both stared at her with wide eyes. The way she'd said it hinted at something more, and I realized that it wasn't just Melany she was talking about.

Our blue-eyed captor seemed to realize the same thing. From her position against the door, she sighed and gave a smile. "You really care about him, don't you?"

Yellow's mouth paused half-way open. Slowly shutting it, she looked down, not saying anything. My eyes widened as the faintest of blushes appeared on her cheeks, and Melany smirked softly.

"Okay," she told us, turning around to open the door. "Let's get out of this crowded bathroom."

Neither Yellow nor I moved as she stepped aside to let us out. After a moment of tense silence, she gave a sigh and gestured at her Venomoth. Lifting off her head, the Bug type gently fluttered over to where I stood glaring in front of Yellow whose eyes were still trained on the linoleum floor. It flew behind us, and she finally looked up when a shimmering substance began to appear on its wings.

"Green powder," she murmured with wide eyes.

I nodded, and Melany chuckled from the doorway. "Don't worry. It's just normal Sleep Powder. I don't have any more of that special stuff Amber used at the lunar eclipse."

My eyes narrowed for what felt like the tenth time in the last five minutes. "So you _did_ give it to Amber?"

She blinked and nodded. "Who else would have? I'm the one the Pokemon who knows Sleep Powder."

The Venomoth was slowly getting closer to us so we had no choice but to walk forward and follow Melany out into my hospital room.

"So tell me," I said as we stepped out into the sunlight and headed over to the open space near my bed. I did my best to sound nonchalant, but instead it came out with the wariness I couldn't help but express. "What did you do to it to make Yellow go into a _coma_?"

She halted near the door that lead out into the hallway and turned around to smirk. "Seriously, you guys have got to let up on all the questions."

I rolled my eyes. "We wouldn't be so insistent on them if you'd just answer-!"

My voice got cut off as we heard somebody approaching from out the window. I kept on eye on Yellow as I ran over to my bag on the nightstand to grab a Pokeball. Melany was right on my tail, her Venomoth floating just above her shoulder.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned lightly, her fingers curling gently around my wrist as I got a hold of Clefy's Pokeball.

I cocked an eyebrow just as the rustling outside grew louder.

"Melany? Are you in there?"

Yellow turned to ice at the voice, and my hand froze around the Pokeball. Melany smiled a little, but suddenly turned towards the door when another different yet almost identical voice came from behind the door.

"Blue? Is that you? Is Yellow with you? I haven't seen her in a while, and I was starting to get worried."

Said girl went from ice to stone as the window and door flew open at the same time.

"Yellow—!"

She flinched and closed her eyes as both people abruptly cut off. She was standing in the middle of the room so when she opened them back up, it was hard not to stare at the scene before her.

Red was paralyzed in the doorway, his hand still on the knob.

Amber likewise was frozen in the window, one foot still poised over the sill.

And both twins stood with wide eyes, too shocked to even glare at each other.

Melany and I remained motionless, her fingers wound around my wrist as we waited for one of the three to move. Melany let go of my hand to walk towards Amber and help his shell-shocked form the rest of the way into the room.

"Arceus, are all your reunions like this?" She snickered softly at him.

That seemed to snap them all out of their trance as Amber shook his head, and Red immediately stood in front of Yellow with crossed arms while she averted her gaze to the floor again. I scooped up my bag from the table, throwing it over my shoulder before I took up my spot at Red's side. I had a feeling we wouldn't be staying here much longer.

"Where's Green and Silver?" I whispered to Red as Amber set his foot down and stood silently next to Melany.

"Green's sitting up on the roof, and Silver's trying to get him to come down," Red told me quietly, his eyes never leaving the two before us.

I nodded. "Good. Then they'll see us when we break out of here."

Melany seemed to have heard me for she gave a little laugh. "I don't think you'll be doing that."

Her Venomoth flew behind us to block off the door, and she and Amber stood before the window. I grit my teeth an little, and Red appeared to have the same idea as me as our hands grabbed a Pokeball simultaneously.

"Let's not be too hasty," Melany suggested, holding up a hand. "Why don't we talk about this first?"

Red didn't move from his spot in front of Yellow. "There's nothing to talk about."

Melany smirked. "I think there is."

"Stop it."

Red and Melany paused a moment and turned to Amber. His golden-orange eyes stared deep into his brother's crimson ones before slightly shifting to look over his shoulder. He tilted his head, and I turned to see that he had locked gazes with the girl behind Red.

"Yellow?"

I saw her close her eyes sharply. There was a long silence in the room until she quietly strode out from Red's protective stance. She took a step towards her old bodyguard before her new one grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

Red's eyes were full of so much concern that she almost went back to him. She turned her head to see Amber's questioning gaze, and after giving Red a reassuring smile, she pulled her hand away and walked forward to stand between our two groups.

From her spot in no-man's land, her face went blank, and she simply gave a small nod at Amber. "Yes?"

His eyes softened a little. "Will you come with me?"

She froze.

"Please?"

Red's anger finally surfaced pas the initial shock, and his eyes steeled. As he took his first step towards Yellow, I clutched his arm and gently yanked him back. This was a decision that Yellow had to make by herself. I had no doubt what she would choose, but Red needed to understand that she could do it on her own. I frowned a little. The same thing a certain someone needed to realize about me.

He looked helplessly at me until I shook my head and he reluctantly came back.

Yellow stood alone in the center of the room, her shoulders tense as the decision lay heavily in the air. Amber's eyes were pleading her to come to him, and even though she couldn't see them, I had a feeling she knew Red's were doing just the same.

Melany was watching the scene with wide, curious eyes. I couldn't help but notice how not-evil she appeared when her guard was down, and it made me wonder if what Yellow had said about her could actually be true. After all she'd done so far, I didn't think it was possible, but if she really was…Out of the corner of my vision, I glanced uncertainly at her again. She saw me observing her, and when her blue eyes met mine, I shook my head and looked away. _There's no way that she's Luna._

The sound of a heel clicking snapped me out of my thoughts, and I whipped my head up to see that Yellow had taken a step, although in which direction I couldn't tell because her feet were hidden beneath the white folds of her Grecian dress. I knew what it was a second later though when she took another that placed her an inch closer to Red.

Amber had an anguished yet understanding look in his eyes. He quietly watched her as she slowly moved towards his twin but did nothing to stop her.

Her back was almost in arm's reach when Melany smiled sadly and softly huffed. "As if you think you have a choice."

At the end of her murmur, she clicked her tongue, and Red and I fell over as a giant set of purple wings sent us sprawling to the floor. I jumped back up as soon as possible, but I wasn't fast enough. The Venomoth had already latched onto Yellow and carried her to the window where Melany stood waiting.

Red was on his feet in a heartbeat, eyes narrowing in fury as Yellow struggled to escape. He was just getting ready to run at them when Melany released her Heracross, and it blocked him off with Protect. Red didn't realize it until he bounced right off and landed a few feet back, glaring through the barrier.

"Give her back!" He yelled in outrage.

Neither Melany nor Amber listened to him as the pixie-cut blonde pulled out a roll of ducktape and proceeded to cover Yellow's mouth and bind her hands. Red only seemed to grow angrier and started slamming his fists on the invisible force field.

"No!" His protests echoed around the room. "Let her go!"

Melany smirked a little as Amber stepped back outside the window. "Sorry. But Master would be pretty mad if we did that."

The girl was restraining Yellow by her taped wrists, and I knew that she had no plans of loosening up anytime soon. I bit my lip in fear as she started handing her to Amber. Red was doing nothing against the Protect, and we had only seconds before they got away with her.

Thinking of nothing else, I quickly threw Clefy's Pokeball and decided to take a risk. "Metronome!"

My outburst made the three behind the barrier turn their heads as Clefy flicked his hands. Amber's eyes widened in shock as the dancing light left his fingers, and a moment later, a miracle literally happened.

My Normal type busted right through the Protect with Feint.

The sudden impact sent fragments of energy flying through the air, and Red and I took the moment of distraction to gain some ground. We were only a few feet away from reaching Yellow when Melany recovered and told her Venomoth to use Silver Wind.

The sparkling gust buffeted us, and we were thrown back across the room. I swiftly returned Clefy so he wouldn't be blown away, but I couldn't say the same about the various objects Red and I had to dodge.

Keeping her grip on Yellow, Melany called back her Heracross and began pushing her out the window. Red, seeing this and panicking, put his shoulders against the wind and ran for her. However, Yellow had already been lowered into Amber's waiting arms, and I turned to ice as he gently scooped her up and ran for the forested hills behind the Pokemon Center.

I bared my teeth. _Not today._

Placing my back to the wind, I grimly pushed against it, quickly catching up with and passing Red whose anger had finally broke. He had no trouble keeping up, and when Melany turned around, she let out a cry of surprise as we jumped past the Venomoth and stood glaring at her from both sides.

She was positioned in front of the window to block us from running after Amber, and her eyes watched us carefully. The Venomoth ceased its Silver Wind and took up the remaining spot across from Melany, closing off our little box.

My shoulders were tense as I tried to think of a way out, but it all turned to shock as Melany lost the glare in her eyes and returned her Venomoth. Red's eyes widened in surprise, and mine did as well when she put away her Pokeball and smiled. Before we could even move, she leapt over the sill and slammed the window shut. I raced forward to throw it back open, but when I tried to lift up the pane, I found that she'd put in enough effort to jam it.

Smirking at me, the blonde started sprinting for the hills and left me to struggle with the window. As she disappeared among the trees, I furiously brought down my fists and gave up.

"Come on!" I shouted at Red, running for the door.

"No," he murmured, making me freeze and face him as he stayed by the window. "We'll never catch them in time that way."

I shook my head. "We have to at least try! The window won't open. We can't go out that way!"

His jaw suddenly set, and he swiftly turned to the clear panel. "Yes we can."

My eyes widened in shock as he ran forward and barreled his shoulder into the glass. There was a horrible shattering sound, and I could only hope that it wasn't his bone. Rushing over to look through the remaining jagged shards, I saw him slowly sitting himself up. There were a few scratches scattered across his arms, and a trickle of blood was trailing from a cut on his cheek. He brought his hand up to touch the gash and recoiled slightly at the sting.

"Red!" I shrieked, deftly weaving around the broken window and landing on the ground beside him as he got to his feet.

"I'm fine," he brushed me off. He was a little unsteady but waved away my offer of help. Turning to face the forest, I watched as he released Aero and ran up to him as he climbed onto his Pokemon's back.

"What are you doing?" I asked in disbelief as Aero lifted off the ground with a beat of his wings.

"I'm going after them!" He yelled from his aerial position, heading for the hills. "Go get Green and Silver!"

I stared after him helplessly with a slack jaw before snapping out of it and bringing out Jiggly. Once she'd inflated, I climbed on, and we floated up to the roof of the massive Pokemon Center. I squinted my eyes in search of two people, but I didn't find them until I looked far off towards the front of the building.

Urging Jiggly to go faster, we finally reached the two boys lying on their backs, and they looked up sharply as I came into view. Jumping to their feet, Green's eyes were cautious, and Silver's were concerned as I landed on the roof and ran over to them.

"Blue?" Silver said confused. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Panting a little, I looked up at him before my gaze shifted to Green's. He observed me warily, but I could see the fearful curiosity hidden beneath his mask of diluted anger. He raised an eyebrow in question, and I reluctantly nodded.

"We've got a problem."

Red

My hands were fidgeting nonstop on Aero's wings as he zoomed over the treetops. Eyes trained on the ground, I stayed perfectly still and watched for any motion in the pine trees below. The hill itself wasn't too big, and I could already see the forestless top coming into view. There was a black being in the middle of the flat expanse, and I narrowed my eyes at the red TR on the side of the dark helicopter.

I kept Aero low to the tree line until we reached the edge of the summit's clearing and had him hide in the trees to avoid being seen. Perched on his rock-hard back, I glanced past the branches at the helicopter just ahead. Through the windows, I could see Melany's two henchmen in the pilot's cabin, waiting patiently in their seats. Then one of them lifted a Pokegear to his ear, nodded, and started up the engine after putting it away.

I tilted my head a moment before realizing what they were doing. A second later, the trees rustled a few yards away, and I froze as Amber stepped out with Yellow in his arms. She wasn't fighting him. All she was doing was staring up at his golden-orange eyes, but he wouldn't meet her gaze, instead staring ahead with his mouth in a pained frown. He only kept walking towards the helicopter, and I realized in fury that he was about to get away with her.

Harshly patting Aero's wings, he leapt into the air and had no trouble firing the Hyper Beam I commanded the moment he had enough space to do so. The powerful orange beam struck down five feet in front of Amber, stopping him right in his tracks. He looked up at the sky, and I frowned as his eyes widened at the sight of me.

The clearing slowly fell into silence as the dust settled, and nobody moved a muscle. There was a short period of motionless anticipation, everyone quietly calculating who would break first, when something else stirred in the trees behind us and a loud sigh echoed across the hill.

"Seriously?" Melany put a hand to her forehead and walked towards Amber with her Venomoth at her heels. "I thought I trapped you at the Pokemon Center." She narrowed her eyes at me, and I had a feeling she was looking at the red streak on my face. "Apparently not."

Giving another sigh, she turned to the helicopter and cupped her hands around her lips. "You guys head on back to base! We'll handle this!"

The men in the flying mechanism did nothing for a moment but eventually nodded their heads in understanding and flipped it on. Within five minutes, the helicopter was just a speck on the darkening horizon.

With them gone, Melany craned her head towards me. "Hey! Red!"

I frowned. "What?"

She smirked suddenly and grabbed ahold of her Venomoth. "Think fast!"

In less than a second, she was flying straight for me, her Bug type firing a Psybeam straight for Aero's unprotected belly. Quickly telling him to dodge, we were soaring almost parallel to the trees as the move shot past and missed us by a hair. Gradually nearing the ground, I saw that Amber had released Baga and was having some difficulty getting onto his back. Yellow had seen that I was here to rescue her and had decided to help try to escape by squirming as much as she possibly could in my brother's strong grasp.

I smiled in ecstasy as she finally broke the bindings on her wrists and tore the tape from her mouth. It was cut short though as Amber had already gotten her seated in front of him on his Pokemon which was currently rising off the ground. In a state of panic, I told Aero to use Hyper Beam and stop them. It was all charged up and about to be fired when another Psybeam came out of nowhere and dispelled the move.

"I don't think so," Melany said lowly, the girl flying only ten feet to my right. Her eyes were alight with mischief, and she smiled up at her Venomoth. "How about some Sleep Powder?"

The green particles were already forming on its purple wings, and Aero didn't have enough time to get out of there before they started floating for him. I closed my eyes in recoil, and they were going to make contact just as a Flamethrower sizzled through the air and turned them to ash.

"No," Green said menacingly from his Charizard's back, hovering just at my side. "_I_ don't think so."

I grinned at him, and he gave me a terse nod. Not a moment later, Melany's Venomoth was hit with a Dark Pulse, and I looked past Green to see Blue and Silver rushing after Melany on Jiggly and Honchcrow as she plummeted towards the ground. I had a feeling that a battle was about to occur, and, knowing that the two could handle it, I immediately turned to find where Amber had gone.

My heart almost fell to my stomach as I saw that Yellow had managed to stand up and was trying to walk down Baga's tail. Amber was behind her, worriedly attempting to stop her before she hurt herself, and I clenched my teeth at his open display of concern. He had _no _right to do that.

Suddenly, she lost her footing and slipped off Baga's smooth blue scales. Amber dropped on his stomach and reached for her, but she was too far gone, finding no grip and tumbling into a free fall. Stark terror had me shouting at Aero to fly at her so he could catch her, but it wasn't needed as she brought her foot up and grabbed a Pokeball from its strap. Pressing the button, there was a flash of light, and Kitty didn't waste any time grabbing her shoulders and catching her in mid-air.

"Yellow!" I shouted at her.

She looked up sharply in relief to see me and Green waiting for her, and Kitty started heading for our familiar forms while I flew forward to her, wanting to make sure that she was okay. Amber scrambled back to the front of Baga's back as the Dragon type proceeded to catch up and fire an Incinerate at the small space between us that halted both Yellow and me in the middle of our paths.

"Wait!" Amber yelled as the heat from the move died off, and Baga slowed down to a stop so that the black-haired boy was just inches away from Kitty's wings.

Yellow looked down at the ground but didn't move. Aero slowly glided the rest of the way to her side, and my eyebrows creased as I saw that her eyes were wide and shiny. Stopping silently next to her and Amber, I watched as she turned to face us.

"Yes?" She said quietly, directing the statement at both me and my brother.

We froze at the turmoil in her eyes, but Amber was the first to break.

"Please, Yellow," he whispered. "I don't want to see you hurt. Just—" He broke off a moment before reaching for her hand and lightly grabbing her fingers. "Just come with me."

Her bright green eyes slammed shut.

That broke the ice, and I quickly took her other hand like I wouldn't let her go. Because I wouldn't.

She opened her eyes again and glanced up to see the plea in mine. Slowly, she clicked her tongue as she looked down at her hands in ours, and I swear I saw tears gathering in her eyes. It wrenched my heart to see them, and I could almost hear what she was thinking.

Mint or ferns?

I tightened my grip just barely, and she closed her eyes with bared teeth.

"Yellow," I said softly, but she shook her head, and a tear escaped from the corner of her eyes as she withdrew her hands and whipped away from us. She gave a small cry, and before we could do anything, she flew off, Kittty carrying her away into the distance.

"Yellow!" Amber called out, getting ready to go after her before I swiveled around in front of him and blocked his path.

Staring him down, I barely had to move my lips over my clenched teeth. "Green."

The brunette had been hovering off to the side during our trio's little exchange, but now he immediately shook his head and zoomed off after Yellow.

Amber's bright golden-orange eyes bored deep into mine as we silently glared at each other in the air, our faces only a foot away.

"Why?" I finally asked him. "Why do you keep doing this to her?!"

His eyes narrowed.

"Why do you keep hurting her?!"

He broke.

"_I'm _hurting her?!" He exclaimed in surprise, jaw clenched. "What do you think _you've _been doing?!"

"What?!" I replied heatedly.

He gave an angry huff. "Dude, she thought you'd given up on her! And now you come back like you actually care about her! How do you think that made her feel?!"

"Says the one who she thought she could trust until he betrayed her!" I yelled at him. "How do you think _that_ made her feel?!"

"I never meant to hurt her!" He shouted out in outrage. "If you haven't already picked up on it, I actually _do _care about her!"

"Why should you?!" I asked furiously, genuine confusion in my loud voice. "You haven't known her near as long as I have nor have you gone through half of what we have together!"

His tone was cold as he said, "I've spent plenty of time with her, and I don't need to have known her for as long as you have to know how I feel about her."

My eyes narrowed, and I dreaded his next answer. "And what exactly would that be?"

He paused a moment and glanced down at his hands. "I'm sure you know very well what it is."

I'm not sure what it was, but hearing him say that struck a chord deep in me that I hadn't realized was even there. It took me a second to identify it, and my mind reeled when I did.

I was jealous of him.

I was jealous that I was not the only one who had feelings for Yellow.

And that I was not the only one that she might return them to.

My shoulders tensed, and I grasped Aero's wing with an iron-like grip. "Well, you know what? You can't feel that way. Want to know why?"

He looked up and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Because I love her."

There was a moment of silence, and I watched as his whole form stiffened. However, mine did the exact same as he bit his lip slightly and stared at me with solemn eyes.

"But what if you're not the only one?"

His words echoed through my mind, and my eyes widened in shock. Was it possible? Were Amber's feelings really as deep as mine?

I shook my head in denial. I wasn't going to listen to this. It couldn't be. I knew he cared for her but not to the extent that I did. And that scared me. Because if that was true…I clenched my teeth. If that was true, then there was every chance that I might lose Yellow.

My hand came up angrily, and I glared at him. "No."

Flicking my wrist, Aero started to release a Hyper Beam faster than Baga could react. Before it could fire far enough to hit the opponent, it was killed off by another Psybeam, and Amber and I whipped around to see Melany, Blue, and Silver hovering in the air beside us on their Pokemon.

"That's enough, Amber," Melany said quietly. "Yellow's not here anymore so we should just leave. There's no use in causing any unnecessary trouble."

"Same for you, Red," Blue told me, glancing at Melany from the corner of her eye. "Let's go while we have the chance."

Our mouth's dropped for a moment before Amber snapped his shut and slowly obeyed Melany's request. Turning Baga, he followed her off as she began to fly to the north, the two gradually fading into the distance.

When they were gone, I cocked an eyebrow at Blue and Silver. "What was that?"

Blue shrugged, puzzled herself. "When she saw that Yellow was gone, she stopped battling and told us that we were lucky that she got away. Then she suggested that we split you two up before things got nasty."

I frowned slightly, and Silver nodded. "Yeah, but we should seriously get moving. We need to catch up with Green and Yellow."

His Honchcrow turned around with Jiggly before heading off in the direction Yellow had fled, and I stiffly told Aero to do the same. As I followed them through the fainting light of the sunset, I couldn't stop thinking about what Amber had said. I was struck with a sense of premonition but bit my lip and forced it away, instead focusing on the two friends flying in front of me as we searched for the absent brunette and blonde.

* * *

Gardevoir: *comes back with bottle* Now, let's see what it says... *reads back of bottle and sweatdrops* Did you read the instructions on this thing?

Me: *angrily rips away from Max only to be hugged again* Sigh, yes! It said the first person she looked at-!

Carlos: *also reading back* Has to be the person who made the cookie.

Me: *eyes widen* What?!

Carlos: *nod* That way the cookie and the person connects or something I guess.

Me: *stares at Max who is still hugging* WELL HOW DO WE REVERSE IT?!

Gardevoir: *reads back again and mutters* To reverse effects...yada yada yada...ah! Here we go! *walks over to Max and bops harshly on the nose*

Max: *shakes head and looks up in confusion* What just happened?

Me: *angrily stomps over and takes potion bottle* *shakes* Good. There's still some left. Carlos! Come on! We're making cookies!

Carlos: What?! *gets dragged off to the kitchen*

Gardevoir: *sweatdrops and looks at Max* Girl.

Me: *from kitchen* NO! YOU BREAK THE EGGS FIRST! DON'T JUST THROW THEM INTO THE MIX SHELLS AND ALL!

Max: *widens eyes*

Gardevoir: *whispers* Run.

Me: Hey guys! So today was such a cool day! Chocolate! Whoo! Haha! But for all of you out there who are single on this day, I give you virtual Hershey Kisses! *hands out kisses to all singles* Ya'll couples can go get your own chocolate! Haha! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hehe managed to include some conflicted romance on Valentine's Day! Yay! XD Review and return!

P.S. Okay! Revisions have been made and completed! Thank you Shin for reminding me about Brick Break! *sweatdrop* I totally forgot that it only works on the barrier moves like Light Screen. Feint worked perfectly! XD


	16. Chapter 16: Facing Facts

Me: Somebody break out the confetti! Its time to celebrate!

Carlos: *shoots a confetti canon* Happy Birthday Yellow!

Gardevoir: *finger on chin* Who does he remind me of right there?

Max: *sweatdrop* I believe the name you are looking for is Pinkie Pie.

Gardevoir: *snaps fingers* That's it.

Carlos: *sees table of sweets* DOUGHNUTS!

Max: *facepalm* Arceus...

Me: *pops up behind Max* Oh and I brought special heart cookies too :3

Max: Nonononono! *dives under table*

Gardevoir: *sigh* Why am I surrounded by such weirdos? **Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. Just her OC's and the plot like you all know.**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Green

It was a dark, cloudless night, and it was only thanks to the faint light from the waning moon that I could see Yellow in the close distance. She was flying in no particular direction, so it hadn't taken me too long to find her. The others would probably have a little more trouble catching up to us, but I wasn't too worried. They could handle it.

The petite blonde was heading south, leaving Fuchsia City in the dust as she made her way towards the ocean shore. I was worried that she'd keep on going when she closed in on the foaming waves. I was still a good half mile behind her, and if we kept flying, it would take a while to find a place to make her land. Thankfully she must have realized the same thing and abruptly stopped before she could get too far. A relieved sigh escaped my lips as her small form began to descend, and the urgency of the chase subsided.

By the time I left the trees for sand, she had sat down on the beach. Kitty was hanging in his Pokeball from the strap of her shoe, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. Her eyes faced the calming waves, her white dress rippling in the wind like the undulating water. I landed Charizard twenty feet down the shore and shivered at the cool breeze coming from the ocean. I had no doubt Yellow was freezing in her thin gown. Keeping this in mind, I stalked over to her with Charizard at my side.

She looked up as the glow from his tail suddenly enveloped her. "Oh. Hi, Green." She turned her head away again.

I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck. Giving a small sigh, I slowly sat down beside her and tried to think of how to break the thick silence. She shivered in the wind, and I blinked at her. "Are you cold?"

She nodded just barely, and I didn't even have to tell Charizard. Automatically, he lay down behind us. Setting his head by my knee, he curled his body around us and looped his tail behind Yellow's side so that it could lie in front of us with the ember of the tip acting as a fire.

The blanket of warmth seemed to put her shivers at ease, and she relaxed into Charizard's comforting hide. I watched a small smile light her face until she looked up at the sliver of the moon and it was lost to the deep abyss of her thoughts.

I twiddled my thumbs slightly on my lap. "So…how was your first full day awake?"

Her chin angled down slightly, but she didn't look at me. "It was…much different…than what I'm used to."

I nodded, and she twisted herself around to face me. "You and Blue are fighting more than usual."

I stiffened a bit but gave her a look. "What about it?"

She didn't flinch, only tilting her head. "Why is that? I realize that I probably must have missed something during my little nap."

I didn't laugh at her joke, and I could tell that she hadn't been expecting me to. Giving a scoff, I glanced down and crossed my arms. "Not really."

Her eyebrows scrunched. "Is everything alright? I've never seen you guys this angry."

"It's nothing," I said lowly through clenched teeth. My mind couldn't help but flash back to Red's surprised face and Silver's knowing look back at the Pokemon Center this morning. My eyes shut as Blue's words came rushing back. _Do you actually _care _about me?_ I flinched just barely and forcefully shoved the thought away.

Yellow saw my slight cringe. "Green, are you okay?"

Trying to find a way to change the subject, it didn't take me long to find another topic, my fingers curling in response. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

Her eyes widened, and she seemed to be taken aback as she swiftly turned to look at the moon again. "What do you mean?"

My lips set into a firm frown, and I lifted my arms up to put them behind my head and lean back on Charizard. "You seem to be having some trouble."

Her eyes snapped away from the sky, and she looked at me sharply in surprise.

I shrugged stiffly with closed eyes. "What? It's kind of hard not to notice."

She looked down and turned away. "Right."

I opened one eye and glanced at the back of her blond hair. "Hey."

She returned her gaze to me and tilted her head.

My eyelid slammed shut again. "You do realize it's not real, right?"

I could literally hear her freeze. "What's not real?"

Opening my eyes, I sat up again and brought my hands around in front of me. "This thing you have for Amber, this…" I set my jaw. "_Infatuation_."

There was a moment with only the sound of the breeze before the beach fell into an echoing silence. My eyes narrowed slightly at her quiet figure before I closed them and folded my arms. I really didn't understand this whole Amber issue. He was a liar and a traitor. He'd grown close to Yellow and the rest of us only to stab us in the back in the end. He could pretend to be as remorseful as he wanted, but I wasn't buying it. I may not have known him as well as the others, but he'd betrayed us—that was enough to label him an enemy in my book.

The ember of our "fire" flickered, and Yellow's eyes were wide as she watched it. "You don't know that."

Another stream of salty sea air washed over us before I opened my eyes and looked sternly at her. "Are you stupid?"

She whipped around with a frown. "No!"

I pointed a finger at her, my eyes narrowed. "Exactly. You're a rational person, Yellow. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. But you refuse to see the logic in this."

She shook her head. "I understand what's happening perfectly fine!"

"Do you really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She frowned uncertainly. "Y-Yes. Something's going on with Amber. This whole Team Rocket business isn't really him. They're somehow forcing him to work for them."

I rolled my eyes. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. There's no proof of that."

"Yes there is!" She said indignantly. "He told me himself that there was someone he was trying to save!"

"He was _lying, _Yellow!" I shouted at her, sitting back up as her fists clenched.

"No he wasn't!" She answered in a similar tone. "I know he wasn't!"

"Look! I'll admit; I've also considered the possibility of blackmail, okay?" I sighed heatedly. The only reason that I'd ever considered the idea was when White had told us that she thought he wasn't acting. "But after all that's happened over the past few weeks, it just doesn't seem likely."

Her voice was like a tight cord. "We don't know all the details. So there's every possibility that he's actually the good guy I know he is."

I groaned and face-palmed. "Yellow! Would you just stop a minute and look at what's right in front of you?!" I raised a hand and counted off on my fingers. "He betrayed all of us! He put you in a coma! Jeez, he tries to kidnap you every time he gets near you!"

Each accusation was like a blow to her resolve, and I could only hope that the logic of it all was reaching her. "I realize that you want to believe the best of him. He was a good guy and a good friend." My jaw set as she turned away. "But the keyword there is _was_."

She only stared at Charizard's tail as the wind disfigured the warm flame. "H-He was more than just my friend."

My hands clenched the ground beneath me, but the sand slipped right through my fingers, only angering me more. "Don't say that! It's _not real_!"

Her eyes cracked to mine like a whip, and I could see the flare from Charizard reflecting off the inner fire in her eyes. "How do you know?! You have no idea how I feel!"

I stared in shock as she jumped to her feet and stalked out of my Pokemon's circle of warmth, pacing up and down the shore as she grabbed at the silver leaves woven in her hair. Standing up and cautiously approaching, I stopped a foot away so I wouldn't be run over by her frantic marching.

"Yellow, calm down," I told her sternly, crossing my arms.

"Calm down?" She laughed ironically. "I think that's a tall order at the moment, Green. You don't know what I've been through this past month! Do you understand what it's like to have two people so close to you fight and pretty much have their friendship torn up over you?!" Her voice caught. "Or be torn up yourself between the two?"

Her use of sarcasm surprised me for a moment, and she went on before I could say anything.

"I-It's so hard," she said quietly. I saw that she had stopped walking, her head hanging down to look at the sand. Her hands were at her side, clenched into two little fists. "I've never had to make a decision like this. They're both great guys. It's like…" Her fingers released, and she looked down at her two open palms. "It's like…trying to choose the better side of a coin."

"Exactly."

She quickly glanced up as I walked towards her with narrowed eyes.

"That's why you think you have feelings for Amber," I explained as the realization flooded into my own mind. "It's because Red's been the one you've had feelings for, and he's so much like him."

She took a step back with wide eyes. "No, Amber is his own person!"

"Quite evident from his recent actions," I said through clenched teeth. "But when you look at _who_ he is, you'll see that he and Red are not only twins in the body but the mind as well."

She paused mid-step, two feet from the frothing foam of the gentle waves. "So you admit that what Amber is doing now isn't his true self?"

I huffed and shook my head. "That's not the point. What I'm trying to say, Yellow, is that you've basically become a victim of your own mind."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

I sighed and held the bridge of my nose. "The only reason you warmed up to Amber was because he was the same as Red." Looking down at her, I crossed my arms. "So, when you and Red began having problems, you started going to Amber more often because you knew you could find comfort in 'Red'."

By now she had frozen completely.

I frowned. "But you're not the only one who was affected by it, Yellow." I stared her down. "Do you have any idea what that did to Red?"

Her mouth opened up in a gasp, but she was so shocked that her voice couldn't follow through with it.

I clenched my fists. "It hurt him, Yellow. It hurt him really bad. You know, while you were unconscious, he wouldn't stop beating himself over it. He kept blaming himself to the point that I had to _slap_ him."

Her eyes were going glassy, and she bit her lip. "I-I never meant to hurt him."

My teeth bared on their own. "Well, I'm sorry, but it did! And the fact that you still 'felt' something for Amber even after what he did to you only hurt him more!"

She didn't say anything, but the tear on her cheek spoke enough.

I should've stopped then. I really should have. But I couldn't help but let out one last thought.

"So you see?" I muttered lowly. "This thing with Amber isn't real! It's only proof of how you feel for Red!"

My voice vanished in the overwhelming silence that had settled over us. I stood there in front of her like a stone statue while her shoulders quaked lightly, another tear trailing down her face to drip off her chin.

As the first one hit the sand at our feet, my eyes widened as I realized what I'd just done. I was suddenly struck with a giant wave of guilt, but it was too late. I heard the sound of shifting ground behind us and whipped around to find Red, Blue, and Silver standing there, frozen beside their aerial Pokemon.

After a few tense moments, I opened my mouth, but nothing would come out.

Another minute passed by with only the sound of Yellow's light hiccup. Then, faster than I could have ever reacted, Blue dashed forward at me, her eyes like little shards of ice. In a split second, her hand slashed through the air, and my head snapped sideways as it made contact with my face. The sound of her slap rang through the air, and I heard a collective gasp from everyone. Yellow's head shot up to stare at Blue. The furious girl was standing between us, her hand still poised from the blow. She was breathing fast, and my eyes were wide as she clamped her mouth shut and put her hand back at her side.

"Uh…"

Blue turned to Yellow who was stuttering with wide eyes.

"I-I…I'm going to, um…I'll be back in a bit," Yellow managed to say in a breathless tone before she suddenly released Kitty and grabbed on.

Blue's eyes widened, and she reached out too late as the blonde lifted off and flew into the night. She angrily looked to me with an air of hopelessness, but Silver took it upon himself to solve her problem. He grabbed onto Honchcrow's foot as the Dark type started beating his wings.

"I'll go with her," he said simply before flying after the girl.

Red, Blue, and I watched him go, and as soon as he was gone from sight, the brunette rounded on me with clenched fists.

"What…what did you _do_?" She growled at me.

I brushed my fingers against my cheek and cringed slightly at the sting. Her stony expression didn't change, and I pulled my hand away from my face. "I'm sorry, but somebody had to say it."

Blue bared her teeth. "But you didn't have to do it so roughly!"

My eyes narrowed. "I just wanted to get it across to her."

"I think she's got the idea now," Blue muttered coldly. "Arceus, why do you have to be so mean?!"

I bit back the hot retort on my tongue and looked out at the ocean. "I wasn't trying to make her cry."

"Well, you did," she snapped. Taking a moment to cool off a little, she sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "See here. Just because you're mad at me doesn't mean you should take your anger out on Yellow."

I bared my teeth. "I didn't take my anger out on her!"

Blue put her hand back to her side as a fist. "You really think that?! I understand that this whole Amber thing has…needed to be talked over, but that's no reason to explode on her because you're trying to find a way to vent yourself."

I was about to say something but stopped a moment. Thinking back to the beginning of our conversation, I grudgingly remembered that the whole thing had started out with Yellow asking about Blue and I.

Face-palming harshly, I realized that she was right.

"I-I'm sorry, Blue," I muttered softly as I took my hand from my face. "I didn't mean to say it like that."

Her eyes only narrowed. "Say that to Yellow. Don't apologize to me." She turned her back on me and took a step before stopping a moment. "At least not right now."

And with that, she stiffly walked to the edge of the forest bordering the beach. She returned Jiggly and released Ditty, and once it'd morphed into a tent, she silently crawled inside.

I watched her go and sighed. Looking up, I saw that Red was the only one left. He was watching me with wide, blank eyes, and I lightly shook my head. "I'm sorry, Red. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," he said softly, looking down. "I know you didn't mean to." He laughed softly. "To be honest, I'm kind of happy you did. I don't want her believing in a lie like that."

My eyebrows creased a moment. The reminder of blackmail popped up in my mind, and I tilted my head a little. "I know there's no way it could be real, but do you think Amber actually might not be lying to her about this?"

He didn't answer. Nor did he even twitch. He just stood there silently with his eyes trained on the sand. The sound of the waves in the distance was the only noise around us. He suddenly started walking towards where Blue had set up camp, and I followed him wordlessly. Aero was obediently at his heels, and as the boy lay on the soft grass beneath the sparse trees, the Pokemon sat behind him and began to curl himself around him.

Just as the rock-hard wings were about to complete the cocoon around the dark-haired trainer, his red eyes looked up and met mine. "It's what I fear the most."

Then Aero's dark curtains were drawn shut, and I stood alone between Red and Blue, each of them concealed by their Pokemon. My eyes lingered over Ditty's tent form until I tore my gaze away and settled down on the ground next to Aero. Charizard was close behind, his loud yawn echoing in the trees as he curved himself around me. I only got another glimpse of the moon above us before his wings blocked out the sky and shrouded me in gloom. My mind was like a whirlwind of a million different thoughts, but somehow I was able to push it down and let myself succumb to the darkness.

* * *

"We'll camp here for the night."

Amber watched Melany as she returned her Venomoth. He had Baga land softly next to her and let him lay down to rest as she looked around the clearing.

"Okay! Let's look for some firewood," she decided before stalking off into the trees surrounding them on all sides.

Giving a silent sigh, Amber followed her light footsteps into the dark.

_Thank goodness for the moonlight_, he thought to himself as he weaved his way through the forest after Melany. It was a slowly waning half-moon, but even then, the faint light was better than nothing.

Amber let out a yelp as he tripped over something and caught himself with a tree trunk. Looking down, he squinted his eyes and saw that it was a good-sized branch. He shrugged to himself and picked it up before continuing after his partner. Farther on, he found her bent over in another small clearing, twigs and sticks scattered around like confetti.

She noticed him approaching and grinned. "Jackpot!"

He only smiled slightly before kneeling over to start piling some into his arms along with the large branch he'd already found. As Melany did the same, she glanced at him before reaching out to pick up another stick. "So, how was your day?"

Amber froze immediately, and she looked up. "Something wrong?"

He frowned and went back to grabbing twigs. "Are you trying to make me mad? You were with me all day. You know exactly how it went."

"Yes," she agreed with a huff as she leaned over a rock for another stick, "but I was going more for an opinion there."

Amber didn't say anything. He only picked up one last small branch before turning on his heel and heading back for camp. Melany scoffed lightly and ran after him. Readjusting her pile of wood, she looked up at him from the side.

"Would you like to tell me?"

He was a good three inches taller than her, and he used every bit of it to send a glare her way. "Would you stop it? I've got a good feeling you already know what I'm going to say so would you stop acting like you don't?"

Amber gave a soft heated sigh and turned his head away to look forward. Melany's eyes widened, and she did the same. "I'm just trying to help, you know."

He didn't look at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "You know what they say. The first step to recovering is admitting that something's wrong."

Amber's eyes narrowed as he saw Baga coming up in the close distance. "What exactly are you trying to make me admit?"

She smirked. "And I have a good feeling that _you _know what I'm going to say."

His jaw clenched, and she made no comment as they entered their clearing again and set the wood in the center. After Melany set some stones around the edge of the pile, Amber turned to Baga who was lying down just five feet away.

"Baga?"

The Salamence lifted his head lazily and blew a jet of fire on the wood before shutting his maw and getting back to his nap. The sticks had quickly caught aflame, and Amber sat down against Baga's side as its warmth began to seep into the clearing. Melany stretched her arms above her head with a yawn before plopping down next to him, leaning her head back against his Pokemon. He glared at her a minute but gave a sigh and just let it be.

"So."

Amber's eyelids had been starting to close, but they snapped back open to find her looking at him from the corner of her deep blue eyes.

"Are you ready to admit it?"

He frowned. "Admit what?"

She lifted her head and wrapped her arms around her knees. "That you don't love Yellow."

He immediately froze.

She sighed and placed her chin on her kneecaps. "Come on. Don't give me that look."

He shook his head rashly. "Why would you say something like that?!"

She blinked. "Because it's the truth."

He could feel his fingers beginning to curl but forced himself to calm down. "And you know that how?"

Her eyes went from wide to narrow. "Because I know _you_, Amber."

The statement surprised him for a second. "What do you mean by that?"

She sighed again. "Look, dude. I've known you for a good while now. You know that."

Amber reluctantly nodded his head.

"And that means I know who you are, how you act, and what you're like."

Again he shook his head, but he didn't like where this was headed.

She looked at him sternly. "So that means I know that you don't truly have feelings for Yellow."

Amber clenched his teeth. "You don't know what I'm feeling."

Melany's eyes narrowed further. "Oh, I think I do. One word. Grief."

That was like a knife to Amber's heart. He glared at Melany, but she refused to stop.

"You're still devastated about Jade," she explained with a low voice. "And I don't blame you." The frown left her face for a moment. "To tell you the truth, I still kind of am, too."

Amber almost growled. "Would you stop trying to act like you care about her?! After what you did, it's pretty obvious that you don't!"

Melany blinked a moment. "Huh. You know...I'll bet Blue and the others are thinking the exact same thing about you."

Amber paused and bit his lip. "But that's different. I actually do care about Yellow."

She raised an eyebrow. "How do they know that?"

He looked down. "They don't." He glanced at her with narrowed eyes. "But I know that you don't care about Jade. You never did."

Melany didn't blink or show any anger in response. She only turned her head so that her cheek was resting on her knees instead of her chin. "And how do you know that?"

He frowned. "You never deny it."

She smiled sadly. "But I never agree to it either."

Amber thought he was about to explode. "Once! For once, would just come out and say something with no double meaning or hidden message?!"

Both eyebrows went up. "You want me to be straightforward?"

"Yes!" He shouted in exasperation, throwing his hands in the air. "Please!"

Her eyes narrowed. Bringing her head off her knees, she sat cross-legged and locked her gaze with his.

"You don't love Yellow. You never did, and frankly, if I know anything, you never will."

Amber, wide-eyed, was about to cut in when she held a hand up. "You wanted a straightforward statement, you got one."

Ruefully, he snapped his mouth shut, and she nodded before continuing.

"Amber, you've been holding yourself accountable for Jade's death ever since it happened even though it wasn't your fault. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to hurt yourself any more than you already have," she said softly.

"But it was my fault," he whispered with clenched teeth.

"No. It wasn't," she said firmly, but he shook his head.

"Why would I hurt myself?" He asked, adamant on not pursuing the previous subject further.

Melany seemed reluctant to move on, but she did so anyway. "You've fallen into a psychological trap, Amber."

He blinked in surprise. "C-Come again?"

She sighed. "You loved Jade. Totally and utterly. Right?"

Amber nodded slowly.

Melany did the same. "Exactly. And one does not just forget about someone like that easily."

He averted his gaze. "No."

"You haven't stopped grieving over her even though it happened a whole summer ago," Melany said matter-of-factly as if she was trying to show him how to solve a math formula. "That in itself shows how much she meant to you. And proves even further that any love for Yellow is futile."

He sat in shock unable to say anything, and she took the silence as an opportunity to go on.

"I'll admit. Yellow has the same caring nature that Jade had. And I'm going to guess that's why you formed such a deep attachment to her. Even though I strictly told you _not to get close to Yellow_ when this whole mission started, I had a feeling you might." She sighed with a sweatdrop. "And you did. You thought that she could help fill the hole in your heart. But she can't, Amber." Her eyes filled with sorrow as his jaw dropped open a little. "No one but Jade can do that."

Amber slammed his eyes shut on the tear that was threatening to escape. "But Jade's dead!"

Melany nodded sadly. "I know."

Opening his eyes, they widened as he stared at the ground, and realization dawned on him. "So, you're saying that I was only…_using Yellow_?!"

She put a finger to her chin. "Subconsciously, yes. Consciously, no."

He groaned and dropped his face in his hands. "I don't believe this."

"You may not," she shrugged. "It's probably like I just dropped a giant bomb on you right now. But hey. You're the one who wanted me to be straightforward for once."

He simply nodded, and she yawned lightly. "Well, I think it's time we got to sleep. We head for Tohjo Falls in the morning." She turned to see him still staring at the ground in shock and cuffed him lightly over the head in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Good night."

He blinked out of his trance and smiled thinly before lying back against Baga. The Dragon type, realizing that they were done talking and ready to go to bed, shifted the wing on their side over them as a blanket so they wouldn't be cold.

Amber could hear Melany fall into sleep as her breathing slowed, but he couldn't stop staring up at the half-moon. What she'd said was running laps in his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe she was right. A day hadn't gone by that he hadn't thought of Jade, but he'd never thought that was the reason he'd started caring about Yellow. His eyes widened.

"D…Do I care for her?" He whispered to himself in the dark.

For the past few weeks, he'd honestly believed that he had. That was why it'd torn him to still have to somehow bring her back to Melany's Master. He hated that he had to choose between her and Samantha, but he had to get his Gardevoir out of there as soon as possible. His eyes narrowed in fury. Before they got from her what they needed. They'd told him that when he brought them Yellow, they wouldn't have to use Samantha's power, and she'd be released. But he had a feeling that Yellow was her replacement. So, he'd tried coming up with a plan to bust them both out of there as soon as he showed Yellow to them. But he was still unclear on a few details and could only hope that he had enough time to figure them out before they eventually caught her.

Giving a quiet sigh, he folded himself up under Baga's wing. At the moment, he had no idea how to answer his question. But what he did understand was that he needed to see Yellow. No Melany or plan to capture her in sight or mind. Just one more normal conversation with her so that he would know if what Melany had said was true. If he actually didn't love Yellow.

Silver

It didn't surprise me when she finally touched down, and I found myself hovering above her house with Honchcrow. She didn't return Kitty, simply letting him fly inside in the house behind her. I stayed in the air, unsure of what to do. However, when I saw her purposefully leave the front door open, I had my Dark type land and returned him before heading in after her.

Upon entering the house, I didn't have to have my knowledge of the past couple of weeks to know that no one had been here in a while.

All the plants throughout the house were beginning to wither from lack of water; a lamp in the living room was blinking slowly, the bulb strained from never having been turned off; and as we walked through the kitchen, I could see a thin layer of dust covering the counters. She walked over to the dining table in the other room, and it then occurred to me that she wasn't living here alone.

"So where's your Uncle Wilton?" I asked her, passing under the arch that led into the dining room. She was seated at the end of the table with her hands in her lap and Kitty floating behind her.

"Fishing trip in Johto," she said quietly, almost monotone.

Creasing my eyebrows, I walked over and observed her still form. Her wide eyes were glued to the grains in the table below her, and there was an almost imperceptible shake to her shoulders.

"Hey," I said in a soft, cautious tone. "Why don't you go take a shower? It might help you feel better. Besides, I think it's been a while since you've had one."

She didn't laugh like I'd been hoping, but she did stand up and start heading for the staircase after setting the Pokeballs attached to her shoe straps on the table. I watched her until she disappeared up the stairs and let out a sigh.

"She's really stirred up isn't she?" I asked Kitty.

The Pokemon hastily shook his head in worry, and I returned him to the only empty Pokeball lying on the table so he could get some rest. When that was done, I looked around the house, and seeing its current state, I decided to take some time and help Yellow out.

Fifteen minutes later, all the dust was gone from the kitchen, the Berry plants that occupied practically every free space of the house had been replenished with water, and the only thing I had left to do was stop the annoying light bulb from blinking.

First I tried tapping it, hoping it would somehow miraculously go back to normal, but all that did was make it blink faster. Narrowing my eyes at it, I reached into the lamp shade and tried that trick of twisting it in the socket. But as soon as my fingers touched the edge of the glass, they encountered a small problem. My hand ripped out of the shade faster than a bolt of lightning, and I stood there looking at the slight burn on it.

Glaring at the stubborn thing, I watched it blink three times a second for a good five minutes until I couldn't take it anymore and simply tore the plug from the wall. I gave a triumphant smile and threw down the cord as the light went out. I started turning away when the blinking started all over again. Growling, I was about to just pick it up and throw it at the wall when Yellow suddenly came down the stairs and saw my predicament.

Silently coming to my side, she put a finger to her chin and reached behind the stand the lamp was on. Instantly, the bulb stopped flashing, and I was tempted to just smash it from how quickly she'd solved the problem. Yellow's head reappeared, and she came back holding a plug.

"But I—" My voice cut off from irritation as I stared at my own cord that I had pulled out.

She smiled a little and pointed beside the lamp. "You unplugged the clock."

My eyes found the small digital clock at the base of the lamp where sure enough the time had gone dark. Rolling my eyes, I plugged it back in and reset the time. "At least that annoying blinking is gone."

I heard her give a light huff and set down the corrected clock. Glancing over at her, I saw that the same blank frown from before had returned and set my lips. Unfortunately, the shower had done nothing to calm her. Seeing that she was finally back in her normal clothes and straw hat with her Pokeballs in her belt pockets, I grabbed her long black sleeve and led her outside.

"Come on," I told her. "Let's go to the shrine."

She didn't argue, simply walking with me after we locked her house up and entered the Viridian Forest. We didn't say anything, and a thick silence permeated the air as we broke through the trees into the small nearby clearing that was home to the shrine we'd built that resembled the one in Ilex Forest.

Leaving her in the middle of the meadow, I went over to the shrine and climbed inside. It was actually quite roomy and allowed enough space for us to sit inside and light the candles we had placed there. Striking the match sitting by one of them, I quietly lit each one and waved the smoke from the little stick before setting it back where I'd found it.

Clambering back out into the clearing, I walked over to where Yellow still stood alone. The glow from the candles infiltrated the night air, and we were surrounded by a faint warm light that mingled with that of the moon. Taking her hand, I sat her down on the soft grass and told her to close her eyes. Her shoulders remained tense, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Just stop thinking," I instructed her like she had the first time we'd done this. "Whatever it is, just let it go for the moment."

She stiffened for a minute, but I smiled slightly as she slowly relaxed and began breathing deeply. Closing my eyes, I did the same.

Almost instantly, I was taken over by a force that I knew only to be the forest. It was a strange sensation, being able to feel the life force of such a giant and complex being, but it was something that I was glad Yellow had showed me. It allowed me to merge myself with one of the only things that calmed my senses and helped put me at ease.

As the gentle sways of the trees wore away at my normal irritation, I could feel my mind open up and only watched as my worries were swept away with the wind. The forest was one of the few keys to my thoughts, and sometimes it was just great to unlock and let everything go.

Slowly opening my eyes, I looked over at Yellow and saw a similar look on her face. A second later, her eyes opened as well, and she smiled at me. The girl let out a soft breath and slowly stood up, helping me to do the same. We were as open and free as the rolling grass beneath our feet and sighed in unison. It was like this every time we came out here, and it was one of the best things I could ever ask for. Being able to escape from the world every once in a while was nice.

Looking up at the moon, I saw that it was far past midnight and decided it was time we started heading back to the house.

"I'm going to go put out the candles," I told her. "Then we can go get some rest before we head back to Red and the others."

She froze suddenly, and I tilted my head. She didn't say anything, and I slowly turned around towards the shrine. I entered the small room and quickly snuffed out the lights. As I shut the door behind me, I noticed the strange silence and turned back to find Yellow standing still with her head hanging down.

"Yellow?" I called out softly as I came up to her.

She stayed silent, and I was about to say something again when she suddenly let out a frustrated cry and grabbed her head.

"Yellow?!" I exclaimed, but she took a step back and threw her hands down.

"I can't take this!" She shouted out, her eyes shut tight and her mouth twisted into a frown. "I can't…do this anymore!"

I realized in shock that my plan to calm her down had backfired. Whereas the forest had opened up my mind and let my worries ebb away, it had accidentally unlocked all the tension and anger that she had been trying to keep inside.

"Yellow, it's alright," I told her calmly, but she shook her head.

"No, no it's not!" She yelled into the empty air.

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly.

"There's just so much happening at once!" She face-palmed and started pacing around the small meadow. "We're constantly on the run for some Arceus-forsaken reason that we have no clue about! Green and Blue won't even talk to each other! Melany… I don't even know what kind of game she's trying to play! And then there's Red and Amber!" Her breath caught, and she suddenly stopped, grabbing at her head again. "Holy Ho-Oh, I wish I could just pound it all away with a hammer!"

My eyes widened in shock. Never, not once had I ever seen Yellow like this. She was always such a kind and calm soul. This was like someone had hit a reverse switch. All her anger was coming out at once, and she couldn't stop it. She didn't know how.

Swiftly walking over to her, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Yellow! It's going to be alright!"

She seemed to break at my touch and crumpled to the ground. Bending down with wide eyes, I saw her wiping furiously at the tears on her face.

"I just…I don't know what to do," she whispered, loosely letting her hands fall on her out-turned knees. "I thought…I thought what I felt for him was real. But now I…" She hiccupped. "I have no idea what to think now."

Kneeling before her small form, I watched her tightly shut eyes and frowned slightly. It was such a sight to see her breaking down like this. It was one of the few things that I didn't think I could bear to watch.

I took her hand and slowly pulled her to her feet. She came along like a limp doll, and I started leading her towards the trees. "Come on. Let's go home."

The tears continued to roll down her face as I walked her back to the house, and even when I tucked her into her bed, they were still present in the corners of her eyes. I silently closed her bedroom door behind me and solemnly walked downstairs to lie on the couch. As I closed my own eyes, I could only hope that sleep was the answer to her stress-filled mind. Unfortunately, I had feeling that it was going to take more than just a good night's rest.

* * *

Hours Later...

Carlos: *looking at empty table* Where're the doughnuts?

Gardevoir: *rageface* In your stomach. And I didn't even get to have one!

Me: *kneeling beside table* Maxy, come out! All the cookies are gone!

Max: *narrows eyes* I don't believe you.

Gardevoir: No really. You're good.

Max: *reluctantly crawls out*

Me: Don't worry! I won't make you eat another heart cookie! *smiles and runs off*

Max: *narrows eyes again*

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop* She's got something planned for a future banter.

Carlos: *sadly poking at table* Where are the doughnuts?

Max: *walks over* Carlos?

Carlos: *looks up with wide eyes* Yes?

Max: Sigh. There's no doughnuts.

Carlos: *sadface*

Me: Haha! So how'd u guys like the chapter? *sweatdrop* Not exactly what I wanted to post on such a happy day, but hey. It needed to be done! XD Happy Birthday Yellow! Im so happy I used my entire evening to basically write this entire chapter and get poster by midnight! Whoo! Haha! Let me know what you all thought! Review and return!

P.S. Okay guys! I FINALLY got this chapter updated! Whoo! *sweatdrop* And it only took me two weeks! Whoo! XD Just some little things I changed, but hopefully it made reading it better! Happy St. Patrick's Day!


	17. Chapter 17: Time for the Fireworks

Me: Ello all! I'm baaaaaaaack!

Gardevoir: *wearing bunny ears and holding a basket* Ya. Hey.

Me: Oh don't look so down! It's Easter!

Gardevoir: *glare* So where're Max and Carlos?

Me: *major sadface* The weather finally cleared up so they had to go home...but this isn't a time to be sad! It's a happy day!

Gardevoir: -_- For you, you mean.

Me: *takes a picture* Wink! You bet!

Gardevoir: *rolls eyes* **Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. The only things belonging to her are OC's and the plot. **

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Green

Charizard's wings were great when it came to blocking out noise. But even then I could hear the restless footsteps from beyond the edge of my darkness.

Giving a slight yawn, I stretched my arms over my head. My skin barely brushed against the soft underside of Charizard's wings, and they unfurled to reveal a golden morning sun. Light was filtering profusely through the thin belt of forest trees, catching on a few remaining drops of dew. Letting my arms fall back to my side, I looked up from my seat on the grass to find that the steps belonged to none other than Blue.

The brunette was pacing along the edge of the tree line where the dirt smoothed out into the finer sand of the beach. Her shoes were touching down just on the boundary between the two landscapes with enough dirt for the ground to be firm yet the right amount of sand to muffle her marching. I turned my head to look around our campsite and found the reason for her anxiety when I saw that Red was the only other person there with us.

Sighing slightly, I stood up, cracking my back before returning Charizard. As I put his Pokeball on my belt, I saw Blue's Ditto, still in its tent shape, morph back to normal and make its way to her. She was pacing with a fingernail dancing on her lips nervously, and the Ditto waited until she was close enough before jumping on her back and climbing up to sit on her head. Blue stopped momentarily. Reaching for the Pokemon on her hat, she pulled it down in her arms and smiled. Then she hugged it to her chest and resumed walking to and fro.

I started walking towards her but paused at a safe distance away. I had no doubt she was still angry at me, and although I was still a bit tired, I didn't feel like starting the morning off with a Wake-Up Slap.

Blue heard my feet crunch on the underbrush and promptly turned to find me leaning against a tree with my hands in my pockets. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she turned her head and went back to anxiously walking.

I sighed. "Stop worrying. I'm sure they'll be back in no time."

There wasn't even the slightest pause in her pace. She didn't answer me and just kept up her walking.

I took my hands out of their pockets and crossed my arms. "Oh, so we're not talking anymore, eh?"

Her lips were angled down, and her eyes were closed as if she were frowning in distaste. She spun on her heel, and I rolled my eyes as she walked away to pace farther down the tree line.

I bowed my head in yet another sigh and lifted off the trunk to follow her. "Come on. You can't stay silent forever."

Her eyes whipped around to glare at me, and she didn't need words to voice her objection. Slowly turning the rest of her body toward me, she stood with a cocked hip and raised eyebrow as Ditty sat comfortably in her arms. By the way her gaze was boring into mine, I had a feeling she was waiting for me to break the silence.

I scoffed and put a hand to my forehead. "What do you want me to say, Blue? I won't know unless you tell me."

"Why, Green."

I stiffened a bit and took my hand from my face. "What?"

She sighed and stalked over to a fallen tree before plopping down on it. "You said I'm a bother and only bring along trouble." She looked up at me as I followed and stayed standing in front of her. "If that's so, then why would you care to keep me around and worry about me so much?"

I was frozen at her accusation. She seemed to notice it and gently placed Ditty on the trunk beside her before returning it. "And why is that you refuse to accept that I'm going to get hurt?"

She turned back to me and rose to her feet. "Not to mention, you practically freak out nowadays whenever I so much as have a drop of blood on me." She tilted her head. "Something I've never noticed you doing in the past…"

I gulped as she started walking at me, my feet carrying me backwards.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And even more confusing, you don't seem to express the same degree of concern towards Red or Yellow—two of your closest friends."

My back hit one of the few trees that remained between us and the ocean. My mouth dropped open a little as her blue eyes narrowed further.

"Why is that?"

Blue stared at me hard before she bowed her head, her hat just barely brushing my jacket.

"I'm going to ask this again," she said quietly, "And I hope you won't dodge the question like last time." She looked back up at me. "Green. Do you care about me?"

I didn't say anything. I _couldn't _say anything. For some reason, my mind shut off on me then. I made an attempt to say something, but it was like the connection from my brain to my mouth was severed. My jaw slowly closed, and my eyes widened as I looked at her.

Her hair was billowing in the sea breeze, and she didn't even seem to acknowledge it as the wind blew off her white cap. It fluttered to the ground, but she didn't dare turn away. Her blue, blue eyes were full of some emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I just knew it was something important and fragile that I had to be careful with.

My hands hung limply at my side as I found myself unable to tear my gaze from hers. I could only stand there staring into her eyes as a single thought echoed in the empty expanse of my blank mind.

_Why…why would I care about you?_

After a long and heavy silence, Blue sighed with a wry smile and stepped back. "I should have known…"

I blinked as she gave a low chuckle and bent over to pick up her hat. "I don't know why I was expecting anything different. Deep down I had a feeling you'd continue to 'withhold judgment.'"

My brain finally reconnected to my mouth, and I scoffed. "Why are you making it seem like I'm the one at fault here?" I folded my arms. "I'd like to see you answer the same question you seem so set on having me answer."

It was her turn to look like she'd just seen a ghost. "Eh?"

I took a step forward and felt a hint of satisfaction when she straightened up and took one back. Soon enough the tables had turned, and it wasn't my back that was pinned against a tree anymore.

"So how about it? Do _you _care about _me_, Blue?" I raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed. "Want to answer?"

She smirked. "Of course. I'll come right out and say it."

Her hands pushed her off the tree trunk so that she was standing right in my face. I'd always been a few inches ahead of her, but that had never affected her, and it didn't do so now as she looked up at me and opened her mouth.

But…nothing came out of it.

In less than a second, the conviction in her eyes gave way to uncertainty, and the confidence in her body language just a moment ago was completely lost. Her head fell, and I watched as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"What is it?" I asked, alarmed at the abrupt change. "You look pale all of a sudden."

"I-I'm fine," she managed to say.

From my view, she didn't look fine. She'd gone stiff, and for some reason or another, she wouldn't meet my eyes. I called her name, and when she didn't respond, I grabbed her wrists and made her look up at me. However, as soon as I got a glimpse of her face, she pulled out of my hold and backed away, side-stepping the tree behind her so she wouldn't hit it.

My eyebrows scrunched together. "Blue…?"

She put her hands at her side and shook her head vigorously. "I-It's nothing. I just, uh…just give me a minute."

She started walking away before I smirked and held fast to her wrist. "Who's running away now?"

My grip fastened tighter as she fought to escape. "Seriously, Green. I'm just…confused."

"You don't fool me. I know this is just a ploy to get out of the question." But even as I said it, my smirk fell at the look in her eyes. "Besides, since when do you get confused over a simple question?"

She turned away again, and when she pulled her wrist back, I let it go. "I…I need some time to think."

I tilted my head. "About what?"

She didn't answer me, though, for the sound of beating wings reached her ears, and her head snapped up to find Yellow and Silver landing back at our campsite. Immediately her feet sprinted in that direction just as Aero's wings retracted and revealed Red who was rubbing his eye and beginning to wake up. I stood alone for a moment, watching Blue run, before shaking my head slightly and calmly following after her.

I was able to catch up in time to hear her worried voice. "Are you guys alright? Did anything happen? Did you run into any trouble? Wait a second…where have you been?!"

Yellow and Silver focused on returning their Pokemon before the latter lightly poked her on the nose. "Calm down, Nee-san. It was late so we just stayed at Yellow's house."

"You went all the way to Viridian?" Red asked drowsily as he finally started standing up.

The blonde and redhead only nodded, and no one bothered to push the subject further. Finally on his feet, Red joined our group as Blue pulled a Town Map out of her bag. She opened up the sheet of paper, and everyone crowded around to see it. The places we had already been to were crossed out with a black X, and Blue pointed to the shoreline south of Fuchsia City.

"This is where we are at the moment," she explained, "And we need to find out which city to head to next before Melany and Amber decide to come looking for us again."

Silver motioned at Lavender Town. "How about there? We haven't gone there yet."

Blue smiled uncertainly. "Well, it's quite near the other cities we've already visited."

Yellow took a turn and went for Vermillion City. "There's a port there so we could escape by water if we needed to."

Blue closed her eyes. "It's still a bit too close for comfort, and it might be a good idea if we knew of a place we could go to as soon as we arrived."

Red's ears perked, and he pointed at Cerulean City. "How about there? I'm sure Misty wouldn't mind letting us stay with her for a while."

Yellow stiffened a moment, and I was about to smack him upside the head. _That dense idiot._

Blue glanced at Yellow and immediately shook her head. "Again, we might not want to choose a place by Celadon and Saffron. Besides," she said while gesturing at the gap between Cerulean and Fuchsia, "that much air travel might get us noticed."

Red nodded in agreement, and Yellow let out a silent sigh. As we all went back to studying, I looked at where we were. Shifting my gaze slightly to the left, I saw our answer.

"Cinnabar Island," I said with a small nod.

They all looked up at me, and Silver frowned in thought. "It is a shorter distance, and we're in the perfect place to follow that path. But it's still a bit long for a flight."

"We'll be over the ocean, so it'll be harder for them to find us since there's not a certain path we have to follow. They'll have no idea where we're flying," I reasoned. "Plus, once we get there, I can get a hold of Blaine. I have no doubt he'll have a place for us."

Blue took out a marker. "So are we all agreed on Cinnabar Island then?"

Everyone nodded, and she circled its location on the map. "Alright. Let's be off!"

She tucked the map back into her bag, and one by one, our Flying types were released, save for Aero who was already outside his Pokeball. Once we were all situated and ready to go, we lifted off and headed west.

As we made our way across the ocean, the five of us gradually settled into a pattern. Yellow quietly stayed next to Blue, and Red decided to stick with me at my side. Of course due to recent events, Blue and I wouldn't go near each other, so in the middle of it all was Silver. In reality, he was the only thing separating our two groups, but it seemed like there was some other unseen divide between the four of us. I wasn't too sure what it was exactly, but even Silver noticed it. He glanced from side to side uneasily and watched as we all became lost in our thoughts.

It wasn't all that hard to do so, either. An expanse of blue stretched out above and below as far as the eye could see, and it didn't take long before my mind drifted off to—not surprisingly—Blue. I found it quite odd how she'd responded earlier to that question. It wasn't all that hard to answer, simply yes or no.

I grimaced. So why was it so hard for _me_ to answer it?

Blue

_"Especially since you're going with Green."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"Lulu loves Green!"_

I shook my head roughly in denial as the ocean swept by beneath my feet. Copycat was wrong. People loved me; I didn't love people.

That was how it'd always been. I could not remember a time when I had chased after a boy. Mostly because there had never been a time like that. I had always flirted with boys and found them pursuing me, but it was never the other way around.

But now…I wasn't so sure.

When he'd asked me my own question, I'd been so sure. I'd known what my reply would be and was going to show him how simple it was to answer. The NO had been right on the tip of my tongue. But when I'd opened my mouth to release it, it wouldn't come out. Because then I'd remembered something. I remembered sending Green off with the others when the hotel room caught on fire. And doing the same with Abra in Celadon. And the time I told him to go ahead in Viridian so he wouldn't follow me to my confrontation with Melany. I'd remembered all the times I'd sent him away and left myself to fight alone. And after I'd remembered them, I couldn't help but ask myself why. Why had I done that? Over and over, why had I never let him help me?

And then I had been thoroughly confused.

That is, until I remembered something else.

I closed my eyes sharply as the conversation with Yellow came flooding back with alarming clarity.

_"No! He's the one who doesn't understand!"_

_"Understand what, Blue?"_

My fist clenched.

_"The fact that you never call on him for help because you don't want to see him get hurt? That you actually do care about what happens to him?"_

I jumped suddenly as I felt a touch on my arm. Opening my eyes, I looked to the side to see Yellow pointing down at the sea. "We're here, Blue."

My thoughts slowly shifted as I saw the boys lose altitude and aim for an island coming up ahead. Tapping lightly on Jiggly's side, I braced myself as we too dropped out of the sky and prepared for landing. After another ten minutes of carefully maneuvering the air currents, the five of us touched down and returned our Pokemon.

"So where's the Gym?" I wondered aloud.

Green and Red both turned to the road on the left. "This way."

They started off down the street, and Silver, Yellow, and I just shrugged before following them. For a Sunday, the town didn't seem all that busy. We passed maybe five people along the way before Green and Red stopped in front of the Cinnabar Gym. They were about to go inside when the doors suddenly opened outward and the man they were looking for stepped out into the sunlight.

"My, my, Red and Green," Blaine mused aloud. His Growlithe was standing beside him and let out a bark as he shut the door behind him. "I haven't seen you two in quite a while. What can I do for you?"

"We need somewhere to stay, Blaine," Green said simply, getting right to the point.

The man tilted his head. "Is there something wrong at your Gym?"

Green rubbed the back of his neck. "Something like that."

Blaine nodded and returned his Growlithe. "Well let's not waste time talking out here. Come in, come in."

The five of us followed him back in through the doors. The Gym itself looked much like the inside of a volcano, but we didn't see much of it as we headed down a different hallway. Just like how Green had his office at the Viridian Gym, Blaine had a separate section of the building that was for purposes other than battling. He led us into what looked to be a lounge area and shut the door after we had all filed in and sat down.

Blaine turned around and seemed to notice Yellow, Silver, and I for the first time. "Ah! Yellow, it's good to see you again, too. Not to mention you, Blue, and…"

"Silver," the redhead answered for him.

Blaine shook his head in acknowledgment and turned back to Green. "Now, what appears to be the problem?"

Red and Green immediately started in on what all had happened to us over the past month. Blaine listened to it all with a slight frown and only nodded at certain points. For the most part, he refrained from saying anything until the two had finished and he observed the five of us with an air of interest.

"You kids have certainly been dealing with a lot haven't you?" He stood up and walked out of the room. When we didn't follow, he popped his head back in and beckoned to us. "Well come on! If you'll be staying here, I'm not just going to make you sleep in a room like this! That's what the guest bedrooms are for!"

Red's eyes widened as we got up and went after the man. "Wow, Blaine. It's like you have another house here."

Blaine chuckled from ahead. "Oh, but this is my house, Red."

Red's eyebrows went up, and Blaine stopped in front of a door in the hallway. "It helps save on property payments and all that. Okay! The girls can stay in this room," he informed us and pointed to another door just on the other side of the hall, "and the boys this one. They should be big enough for you all."

A small inspection showed that the rooms were indeed big enough, and when a call sounded from the front of the gym, Blaine apologized to us and went to answer it. There was a brief second of silence before we all filed into our respective rooms and shut the doors behind us.

Yellow collapsed on a bed on one end of the room, and I did the same to the remaining one on the other side. The beds stood facing each other, and my eyes met Yellow's as we lay on our stomachs with our chins in our hands.

"So is this it?" She asked quietly. "Are we just going to keep running away all the time?"

I knew she was talking about Melany and Amber, but I couldn't help thinking of Green and gave a tired sigh. "I don't know, really."

* * *

Evening crept up on us, and before we knew it, darkness had begun to devour the land. Yellow and I had spent the day sleeping even though we'd gotten plenty the night before. This whole ordeal was pretty exhausting so neither one of us was surprised to find that it was already near 9:00 pm when we finally woke back up. The sun had already gone and disappeared out the window, and we both looked up when there was a knock at the door.

Scratching the back of my head, I got out of bed and slowly trudged towards the door. Whoever was on the other side of it must have been getting ready to knock again for when I turned the knob and pulled, a fist came down and rapped on my forehead. It sent me back a step, and I glared as I found Green standing there with his hand still poised.

"Oh, sorry," he said flatly.

I growled sleepily and rubbed my forehead. "What do you want? Yellow and I are trying to sleep."

He raised an eyebrow. "It looks to me like you guys just woke up."

I sighed and put my hand back at my side. "What is it, Green? Or are you just going to leave me standing here without answering yet again?"

His jaw clenched. "Silver told me to come get you. He's got something planned." He started to walk away before stepping back and glaring at me. "And I'm not the only one who left without answering."

I glared back at him as he stalked off and slammed the door shut. "Jerk."

"What's going on?" Yellow asked with a little yawn.

I waved a hand at her and helped her up from the bed. "Nothing. I guess Silver's got some surprise for us. We better go see what it is."

"Okay," she said softly, still affected by sleep.

There was a mirror on the wall, and I fixed the little crazy strands in our hair before opening the door and leading the way outside. The hallway led into the living room, and from there it wasn't that hard to find our way back to the front doors. Once outside, we found Red standing there waiting for us in the dying light.

"You guys ready?" He asked with a smile.

I stretched my arm out. "I guess."

Yellow tilted her head curiously as the three of us began walking off the road into a small pocket of cottonwood trees that towered over the small houses that populated the island. "Where are we going?"

"There's a field on the other side of those trees," Red explained, pointing off into the distance.

"…and?" I asked when he didn't elaborate further.

He smirked. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Yellow's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, and I simply sighed. Red chuckled a little and led us through the large trunks. Twilight had finally taken hold of the sky, and we had to pick our way through the forest carefully. The ground was covered in the soft green grass of July that muffled our footsteps. Up in the trees, Pidgeys and other Pokemon were settling down for the night and paid us no attention as we finally broke through the foliage.

Ahead was a rolling plain that stretched out in a long flat expanse before curling up slightly into a hill. In the distance on that hill was a single figure, and another was on the ground not that far from us on the flatter part of the field. As we got closer, I could make out the familiar spikey hair of the person sitting down and did nothing to stop the frown that formed on my face.

We reached the edge of the blanket the figure was sitting on, and Red reached out to poke his back. "They're here, Green."

The brunette simply nodded and shifted something around in his lap. Red told Yellow and I to sit with them, so we settled down on the blanket while Green held something up. I was about to ask what he was doing when a flame suddenly clicked on above a lighter, and I watched as he lit the sparkler in his hand. It instantly started flashing with colorful light, causing him to hold it away over the edge of the blanket.

"Um, Green?" Yellow asked quizzically. "Why do you…?"

"Just wait," was the only thing he said.

Suddenly, another flare appeared from way out on the hill for a second before it was snuffed out. Green nodded and put his own out in response. With the fizzing noise gone, the air settled into silence. Then we heard the sound of thumping footsteps, and I squinted my eyes to see someone approaching in the dark.

"Okay, it's all set," came Silver's voice.

I almost jumped in surprise when he sat down next to me in the darkness. "What's all set?"

I had a feeling he was smiling, and a second later, the sky exploded in a burst of dazzling green and blue sparkles.

My eyes widened as they faded away. "Fireworks?!"

I sensed him nodding. "I told you we'd make up for missing the Fourth of July."

Another one went off, and I could see the slight grin on his face. "But when did you have time?"

He smirked. "While you guys were sleeping. Green and Red came with me to go find some at the PokeMart. You have no idea how hard it was to find them after they'd been ransacked for the holiday."

I smiled broadly at him. "Well thank you, Silver!" I hugged him around the neck, and he pulled away in embarrassment. I only giggled at him and watched as the show began to unfold. As the sky continued to light up, I noticed Red and Yellow had moved to a less crowded blanket further into the field in front of us, leaving Silver one my one side and a silent Green on the other. Eventually the fireworks went out, and I heard a cry of protest from the duo ahead.

Silver smirked again and stood up. "Don't worry; I've got one more set ready! Although, I'll have to light these up one at a time. I don't have another rig system."

I nodded as he ran off, seeing how he'd been able to set off all those fireworks without having to be up there before. It wasn't until I saw another ignition flare from the hill that I realized he'd left me alone on the blanket with Green. As soon as that thought entered my mind, I looked out of the corner of my eye to see the forest-eyed boy watching the sky for the next display. It wasn't long until it came, and neither one of us spoke a word. More and more rounds went off until the silent atmosphere got to me and I cleared my throat.

"So, uh, good choice on fireworks," I said as another one of them exploded in the air. I half-hoped he hadn't heard me, but the idea was abolished when he turned towards me with wide eyes. He didn't say anything, though, and when he went back to watching the sky, I scoffed.

"Look who's not talking now," I muttered to myself.

I knew he'd heard that one when he whipped around with a glare. "I was simply trying to comprehend the fact that you were actually trying to be nice."

I crossed my arms. "At least I'm trying! That's more than you can say!"

He frowned and leaned back on his elbows. "Why do you keep making me out to be the bad guy?"

"It's not my fault," I mumbled, looking to the side. "You're the one who keeps avoiding the question."

"Oh no," he snapped, sitting back up. "You can't use that excuse anymore. You proved that this morning!"

I glared at him. "I was not avoiding it!"

He raised an eyebrow. "That's not how I saw it."

I turned so that I was fully facing him. "I told you! I was simply a little confused is all!"

His jaw clenched. "What's so confusing about it, Blue?!"

"Because I knew exactly what I was going to say!" My fingers curled into fists. "I was going to say no!"

His eyes widened in shock, and my own did the same as I realized what I'd just said. His gaze fell, and I stumbled to my feet as he swiftly rose and started walking away.

"Green—!"

"Why?!" He'd stopped, but his back was still to me. "Why didn't you just say that?!"

"Because." I bit my lip as he paused. "Because, I couldn't."

He turned around, doing nothing to mask his confusion.

"I couldn't…" My breath caught in my throat. "I couldn't say that because…"

He took a step towards me, but I took one back, my head curled into my chest. "It's because…"

Green tried taking another step but stopped when I finally brought myself to look at him in the dim light of the fireworks.

"It's because I _do _care about you, Green."

He froze.

"I-I _do_ care about you, Green," I repeated softly. "That's why I couldn't say no."

He seemed to be struggling to find his voice. "Then…why didn't you just say _that_?"

I felt weak in the knees but refused to be deterred. "Again, I couldn't."

He tilted his head. "Well, why not?"

My teeth clenched slightly, and another firework lit up his face. "You obviously don't care about me, Green. I've asked you twice now, and you still keep 'withholding judgment.'"

I heard him growl to himself and facepalm. "Blue, no, that's not why I—"

"That's," I said sharply, cutting him off, "why I couldn't."

Green's mouth shut, and his eyes remained wide. Without a word, I stiffly stepped past him and started heading for the forest so I could go back to Blaine's Gym. I didn't look back once; I just left him standing there, listening to the heavy silence that hung in the air long before the fireworks were swallowed up by the dark night.

* * *

Me: *looking around* Gardevoir...where're the eggs?

Gardevoir: *innocent whistle*

Me: *gasp* Gardevoir! Those eggs were for all the readers!

Gardevoir: *smirk* Guess you'll just have to go find them all then.

Me: *grumble grumble* *goes off to look*

Gardevoir: Ah...that should keep her occupied-

Me: *from the bottom of a hole* Found them!

Gardevoir: What?! I even buried them!

Me: Tehe! Can't hide anything from me when it concerns chocolate!

Gardevoir: Sigh you and your chocolate...

Me: Haha! Well, chocolate eggs for everyone today! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I know I've been gone a while and I hope that doesn't happen again! DX Sigh it was about time Blue or Green finally said it, but don't worry! Green won't be left out of the confessions! His will be soon! Actually...*looking at plans* Wow. There's probably only a few chapters left! Garsh! Well, Happy Easter everyone! Have a good day regret not a second! Review and return!


	18. Chapter 18: Coffee Break

Me: *studying for finals* Sigh school is no fun. It never is.

Gardevoir: *crying to self* And it's over in two weeks.

Me: WHOO HOO!

Gardevoir: *glares* I can still remember the first day of school when I was saying that. *sigh* It seems like it was only yesterday...

Me: *blinks* No, yesterday we were skipping everything to watch Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (love that show XD)

Gardevoir: *facepalm* Arceus you make me wonder.

Me: *gasp* Speaking of which! Did you know that Syaoran's right eye is damaged?! *rageface* I'm only on episode 19, but I want to know who hurt my precious Syaoran's face!

Gardevoir: *narrows eyes* Then go watch it.

Me: *sadly turns back to books* But I gotta study... *goes back to studying*

Gardevoir: Well, while she's immersing herself in knowledge, you all can get to the chapter. **Disclaimer: Eon has no ownership over Pokemon in any way. She's just here to write. **

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Red

I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up to silence. It wouldn't have worried me so much had I not seen a lump under the covers of Green's bed. I checked the clock on the wall and looked back at him shocked. Already it was a little past ten, and he still hadn't gotten up.

Running a hand through my messy hair, I slowly got out of bed, feeling the floorboards creak beneath my feet. I saw the third bed we'd brought in yesterday was empty and guessed that Silver was already awake. Turning toward Green, I tried to keep quiet and tiptoe over to him. His blanket covered most of his body, leaving only his brown hair visible. I came to a stop at his bedside and tilted my head at his motionless form.

It was strange to see him all bundled under a mountain a blankets when normally he would have been up and trying to get me out of bed. He usually never slept in like this. I kept waiting for him to shift or something, but he didn't. I scrunched my eyebrows. _Something is definitely wrong. _

I reached out to poke him but abruptly stopped when I remembered White trying to do the same thing at the Pokemon Center. Instead, I searched for a more indirect way to wake him up. Going back to my bed, I grabbed a pillow and ducked behind the mattress. My eyes watched from just over its edge as I gripped and launched the cushion. It hit him lightly and bounced onto the floor. I huffed when he didn't move and snatched another pillow to throw.

"Don't do it," came his mumbled voice from beneath the blanket. I blinked in surprise and walked over. His face emerged with a drowsy glare as I pulled the cover back. "You're lucky I let you do it the first time."

I blinked a moment and threw the pillow back on my bed as he began sitting up. "So you _were_ awake." He simply nodded and leaned his head against the wall. I sat on the end of his bed. "And you didn't decide to get up?"

His eyes shifted away. "I was tired."

I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem all that tired when we got back last night."

And he hadn't. When the fireworks had ended, Yellow and I had gone back to find him and Blue. But she was gone, and he'd been standing there all frozen and stiff. Yellow had called his name, and the look on his face was instantly gone. All he told us was that Blue had gone back early. Then he hadn't said another word the whole way back.

He simply gave a sigh and lay back under his blanket. I raised my other eyebrow as well. My hand shot out to rip the covers off him again. "What's wrong?"

He glared. "Nothing."

I gave a light huff. "Green."

He sighed at the soft concern in my voice and sat up. "I messed up, Red." I tilted my head, and he put a hand to his. "With Blue, I mean."

"How so?" I asked him in slight confusion.

He didn't answer me right away, instead standing up and starting to fold the blanket over the bed. When everything was back in order, he just stood there for a moment before sighing. "Blue…told me something last night…"

My confusion deepened further as his face went slightly pink. "What'd she say?"

His eyes widened at my incredulous tone. His hand went to his cheeks, and he scowled at the heat he found there. "Nothing. Never mind."

I chuckled a little. "I don't think it's nothing if you're blushing." That seemed to make the red increase, and he looked away before mumbling something. I put a hand to my ear. "Couldn't hear you."

He glared at me slightly before face-palming. "She told me she cares about me."

Puzzlement lay heavily on my mind. "That's it? So why are you—" Then it sunk in. "Oh."

He nodded, pulling his hand away. "Exactly."

I put a fist to my chin. "Huh. I would've thought you'd be the one to confess first." He smiled sarcastically and hit me upside the head with a pillow. I fell on my side and sat back up with a smirk. "So what's the big deal?"

The fake smile fell. "She thinks I don't care about her."

"Well, what gave her that idea?" I asked him. My eyebrow rose again. "Did you tell her how you feel about her?"

He bit his lip. "No."

I sweat-dropped. "That's probably why."

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy breath. "Yeah, and now I have no idea what to do."

I blinked a moment in thought. "Why don't you hang out with her for a while?"

His eyes widened. "Huh?"

"You know, try to get things back to normal."

"Um, I don't quite think she's in the 'hang out' kind of mood," he muttered.

I shrugged and grabbed my extra set of clothes off the nightstand after getting up. "You never know until you try, right?"

He only stood there studying the ground. After a silent moment, I headed to the bathroom and left him to his thoughts.

* * *

"B-Blue?"

I didn't move.

There was a poke on my shoulder. "Hey, are you hungry? We could go get some breakfast."

I was lying on my stomach glaring at the wall behind the bed. Barely lifting my head, I shifted my gaze to her. "I'm fine." She got that worried look in her eyes, and I gave a guilty sigh. "Really, it's okay." I glared at the wall again. "Just trying to bring myself back to reality is all." She tilted her head a little, and I just waved a hand at her. "Come on. Let's get something to eat."

Blaine's house/Gym was a rather roomy place, and we almost got lost trying to find the kitchen. There was a loud crashing, though, and we followed it to find Red buried under a pile of pots.

"Oh!" Yellow exclaimed. She quickly ran over and started pulling pans off his head. "Are you alright?!"

He chuckled a little and rubbed his head. "I'm okay. I just thought I'd try to make eggs or something for breakfast."

Yellow smiled faintly and grabbed a small pan. "Allow me."

As she dug through the fridge for the egg carton, Red started picking up the rest of the pans, and I helped him arrange them on the hooks hanging from the pot holder dangling above our heads. I could feel him watching me as we continued working. At one point I turned to ask him why he was staring, but he ducked to grab the last pot. When he came back up, he focused on placing it on the hook as if he'd never been looking at me.

I raised an eyebrow but let it go as we started getting plates out for Yellow's completed eggs. It was silent as we sat down to eat. It only got more awkward from there as Red and Yellow tried to make conversation and I left them hanging. Let's just say that for once, I wasn't in the most talkative mood.

"So, um, Blue," Yellow asked timidly as I harshly put down my fork. I was tense, and I knew it was obvious. "Do you want to go out and walk around town? I hear they have a local clothing store."

I perked up a little at that. Glancing over at Red, I perked up some more. "Sure. Red, you sit tight, and we'll be right back."

His eyes widened. "I'm going, too?"

I got up from my chair and winked. "Of course."

* * *

"Yellow?"

"…Yes?"

"I don't think this is a clothing store."

She sweat-dropped. "B-But there's still clothes."

The two of us plus Red stood gaping at the cultural convention before us on Cinnabar's main street. Vendors lined the walkways on either side, each sporting merchandise from different regions. There were Gracideas from Sinnoh, Secret Base equipment from Hoenn, Castelia Cones from Unova, and much, _much _more.

"Wow," Yellow breathed in awe. "There's just so many!"

Red's lips quirked at the sight of all the stalls and carts. "I had no idea there was a cultural festival in town."

I smiled, starting to walk. "Might as well not waste the opportunity. Let's have some fun!"

They were right behind me, and it didn't take long for us to merge into the flowing crowd. We passed various stands, all with smiling people who urged the passersby to stop and look. At one point, Red and Yellow spotted someone selling Pikachu merchandise. I wasn't even surprised when I turned around and found that they were gone.

So I decided to go off on my own for a while. I just wandered aimlessly, not really looking for anything in particular. That is, until I saw a jewelry stand. There weren't even two seconds before I was standing before the large array of gems. I'd always had a love of shiny things.

My hands traced along the stones and precious metals, not quite touching them but grazing their smoothness. Glancing up, I saw that there were more necklaces hanging around a viewing mirror. I lightly fingered them before looking in the mirror and checking my reflection.

I froze instantly, staring behind myself in the mirror. Right at the edge of the crowd, a glimpse of a gold-rimmed black shirt flashed in plain sight. I whipped around, but there was nothing. Sighing, I turned away and started searching for Red and Yellow.

"I think I'm going crazy," I muttered.

"It's only a matter of opinion," said a familiar voice.

Curiously looking over my shoulder, my eyes widened at what they found. "Black!"

The brunette grinned and waved his hand. "Come on! White's here, too!"

I swiftly followed him through all the people to a stand sponsoring the BW Agency. I could see Red and Yellow were already there, a bouncy brown ponytail popping out over their heads.

"White!" I exclaimed, watching her face light up as I ran over. "What are you doing here?"

The young girl laughed. "We heard about the festival and decided to get in some extra advertising time. But I never thought we'd run into you guys!" She beamed at Yellow. "It's so good to see you awake!"

Yellow giggled a little, and Black joined White behind the counter. "I didn't think we'd see you guys so soon either. But I'm glad we did. Silver's been really helpful."

Red raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

There was a tap on my shoulder, and Silver suddenly appeared at my side holding a business card. "BW Agency. Best talent bureau in Unova."

I laughed at him and took the card. "So this is where you've been."

He gave the rest of the cards to Black. "That and setting up for the exhibition match."

Red poked his head in eagerly. "Exhibition?"

Black nodded happily. "Silver and I are going to battle while White sets up a stage for a mini promotional musical. That way we can get people to come before it starts!"

"Sounds logical," Yellow commented.

"Hey," White said curiously. "Where's Green?"

I stiffened, and Red watched me intently before answering. "Why don't you go get him, Blue? He's probably still at the Gym."

My teeth grit a little, but I didn't let it show. "Okay."

Yellow's eyes grew worried while everyone but Red scrunched their eyebrows in confusion. Putting a smile on my face, I turned on my heel and grudgingly headed for Blaine's home. I took my sweet time, though. In fact, if Red hadn't looked so resolute when he asked me, I'd have probably refused. I sighed. _At least when the exhibition match starts Red and Yellow will have some alone time. Just what I'd been hoping for. _At the thought of my meddling, I smiled a little and entered through the Gym doors in front of me.

The entire building was silent inside. Blaine obviously wasn't home, and Arceus knew where Green was. I first checked the kitchen then moved onto his room when he wasn't there. Again I came up empty-handed and decided to chance the many other rooms in Blaine's vast home. There was a dining room, living area, basement bar, even a den, but no Green.

I sighed. "Where'd he go?"

"Looking for someone?"

I nearly jumped a foot I the air and mentally sweat-dropped. Too many people were answering my rhetorical questions today. I turned and glared lightly when I found Green holding a book to his chin. "Just you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

I frowned. "Yeah. Apparently there's a cultural festival in town, and Black and White are there. Oh, and Silver and Black are going to have an exhibition match to attract people for White's musical display. So, come on."

He nodded slightly and walked past me. "Let's stop by the kitchen first. I haven't eaten yet, and lunch sounds really good about now."

I scoffed a little but quietly followed at the grumble in my stomach. In the kitchen, Green headed for the cupboard, and I plopped down at the bar. It was positioned on an island that stood in the middle of the room and housed a double sink. I sat with a hand holding my chin, foot bouncing impatiently on the leg of the bar stool. Green had a cup at the counter, and I raised an eyebrow as he grabbed the coffee pot. "You're having coffee at noon?"

"No," he said, spinning a spoon in the mug. After clanging it on the top, he put the spoon in the sink and handed me the cup. "You are."

My eyebrows scrunched slightly before I gently took it from him. "Well, thank you."

His head nodded slightly, and he opened the fridge to grab the ingredients for a sandwich. "I knew you hadn't had your morning coffee yet. You weren't irritated enough."

I paused mid-sip. "What do you mean?"

He pulled the bread off the pantry shelf without looking at me. "Well, after last night, I was expecting you to be rather upset today. So when you only followed me here without arguing, I realized you hadn't had your morning fighting fuel."

I slowly set down my mug with a sigh. "Green…"

My voice made him turn around curiously. "Yes?"

My fingers traced the edge of the cup, and I locked my eyes on them. "I'm…I…well, what I mean is…" I growled inwardly and forced my mouth to form the words. "I'm sorry."

He froze and almost dropped the peanut butter jar. "What?"

I nervously continued focusing on my coffee. "I-I don't think I have any reason to be mad at you. It was just a simple question, and I guess I kind of overreacted."

The sentence left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I knew what I'd said was true. I'd known it ever since I first woke up. That's why I'd been irritated all morning. I didn't particularly enjoy admitting when I was wrong.

He slowly set down the peanut butter and picked up the jelly. His head was away from me so I couldn't see his expression as he said, "You don't need to apologize."

My eyes widened, and he turned around with a carefully blank face, biting into his finished sandwich. I let go of my coffee and stood up with scrunched eyebrows. "B-But—"

"Come on," he told me firmly. His sandwich in hand, he walked out of the kitchen. "Let's go watch the exhibition match."

I stood staring at the table. My mind was moving sluggishly despite the caffeine, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I shook my head a minute later and rushed out to the front doors to catch up with Green. Not seeing him there, I burst outside to find out which way he'd gone. Turning my head, I saw him waiting just down the road, eyes watching me expectantly. Again that bewilderment took over my thoughts, but I kept it to myself as I ran over to him. He waited until I was at his side to start walking once more.

We talked about trivial things on our way to the battle, discussing little topics that didn't really pose any meaning. When I slyly mentioned how I'd left Red and Yellow together on purpose, he rolled his eyes and ate the last part of his sandwich.

"Pesky girl."

I whipped my head up to look at him with wide eyes, but he had already moved onto asking me who I thought would win the exhibition match. When I didn't answer right away, he turned to find me staring and blinked.

"So?"

I watched his eyes for a moment before smiling with a giggle. "Silver of course!"

He blinked and rolled his eyes again as I started theorizing about how my little redhead would defeat Black. And as we continued walking and arguing over the battle, I couldn't help but smile to myself. For once, things felt normal again.

* * *

I anxiously tapped my fingers against my side. "Do you think they're okay? They should've gotten here by now."

Red chuckled and grabbed my wrist. "Yellow, I'm sure they're fine. Let's go find Black and Silver."

I obediently followed as he took me through the crowd. Black and White had closed up shop for the day about an hour ago and went with Silver to set up the battlefield. Red and I had walked around a little longer to wait for Green and Blue, but the match was going to start soon, and Red was eager to watch it.

Around us, countless vendors were also closing down to watch the upcoming battle. I kept an eye out for Green and Blue, but by the time Red stopped, we still hadn't found them. We'd arrived at the battlefield. I noted that it appeared to be in the same field that we'd watched fireworks in last night. A fine mass of people had already gathered and sat in a ring on the surrounding hills with Black and Silver at the center. They appeared to be conversing, and Red and I fought through the crowd to get to them.

"Hey!" Red called out as soon as we reached them. "You guys ready?"

Black nodded, and Silver glanced around. "Where's Blue and Green?"

Red waved a hand. "They'll be here soon. You might as well get started."

Black frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know if we'll have enough room, though. There's a lot more people than I first expected."

White suddenly burst from the throng of people, panting as she aimed for us. "Geez, there's a lot of people!"

Black observed the crowd in thought. "How are you going to set up your stage? No, scratch that. _Where_ are you going to set up your stage?"

White sighed and held her head in a hand. "I have no idea. There's just no room here!"

Red suddenly held a finger up at us to wait and pulled out his Pokegear. He walked a little ways away, and I titled my head. "I wonder what he's doing."

White sighed again and pulled her hand away. "It doesn't matter at the moment. Right now, we need to figure out what to do with this crowd."

A second later, Red came running back with a grin. "Problem solved! Blaine just said we could use his Gym for the battle, and you can stage your musical out in the back field, White!"

The blue-eyed girl's face lit up in delight. "Red! You're a genius!"

Silver nodded in agreement, but Black gave an exasperate gesture at the crowd. "'How are we going to direct all of these people to the Gym?!"

White thought a second before smiling with an idea. "Black, Silver. You have Flying types, right?" They nodded, and she clapped her hands. "Alright. Bring them out." As they set to that, she walked over to me with pleading eyes. "Could I borrow your aerial Pokemon? I hate to be a bother, but I don't have any others on my team besides Yang."

I nodded at her with a smile. "Sure! You can borrow Kitty." I pulled a Pokeball off my belt and released him. He let out a cry and beat his wings to stretch them out.

White's eyes widened, and she carefully stroked a wing. "It's such a pretty Pokemon."

"He," I laughed.

She laughed in return, and I instructed Kitty to listen to her. A few minutes later, they were flying above us between Black and Silver. Pulling a portable microphone from her bag, White clicked it on and smiled.

"Welcome, everyone!" She announced loudly. "We seem to have an overflow of spectators today, but that's okay! If you would all just follow me and our two trainers, we would like to lead you to the designated battlefield in the Cinnabar Gym to begin the match!"

The crowd cheered and eagerly trailed after the trio as they flew off towards the Gym. Red and I stood watching, and our eyes widened as we saw two people lying on the ground in the wake of the stampede. We quickly ran over to find that it was Green and Blue with swirls in their eyes.

I bent down and gently helped her up as Red did the same with Green. "Finally decided to show up I see," the black-haired boy chuckled.

Green only glared lightly, and Blue looked around in confusion as they got to their feet. "Where'd everybody go?" She asked.

Red nodded in the direction of the receding crowd. "There wasn't enough room here so I called Blaine. He's doing something in Fuchsia City today so he let us use the Gym for the battle."

"That was nice of him!" Blue said cheerfully. She snuck a glance at Green and smiled slyly. "Well, we should probably head over then." She latched onto his arm and winked. "See you guys there!"

I stood there with a gaping mouth as she suddenly sped away with the brunette in tow, leaving Red and me there alone. Red blinked in surprise and shook his head. "Sometimes she really confuses me."

I smiled. "But at least she seems to be getting along with Green again."

He nodded slowly before smiling back. "For now at least." Turning to where everyone had left the field, he looked back at me and waved a hand. "Hopefully we can get there before it starts."

I walked to his side, and together we set off for the Gym. Despite the need to arrive on time, we found ourselves taking a pleasant walk through the mostly-empty streets. As we passed by the BW Agency stand, I couldn't help but stop and stare at it for a moment.

After a minute, Red noticed that I was no longer with him and circled back. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head quickly and smiled reassuringly. "Oh, no. Everything's fine."

His eyes softened. "Yellow, what is it?"

I turned back to the stand, and the smile slowly frowned. "I was just wondering what it'd have been like." I looked down. "If I'd been awake that is." Red blinked and watched me as I sat down with a sigh. "I never got to spend time with Black and White like you guys did, and it just seems like I missed out on a lot."

Red sat down beside me and scratched the back of his head. "You didn't miss much, really. We were on the run most of the time anyway from Melany and Amber."

I stiffened a little at that, and Red did the same at my reaction. Slowly, he pulled his hand from behind his head and sat it in his lap. There was a moment of silence before I opened my mouth. "How bad was it to see him again?"

Red stared at his palms. "I ran into him back in Celadon so it wasn't too much of a shock to see him again. But I still had the worst urge to just hit him." He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "How were you so calm around him?"

I almost chuckled. "I wouldn't exactly say I was _calm_."

Despite my light tone, Red turned his head to me with serious eyes. "Yellow, why do you still trust him?"

The air between us was thick at those words. "He's not bad," I murmured with as much conviction as possible. "I just _know _he isn't."

"How are sure that he wasn't just lying to you the whole entire time?" Red asked cautiously.

I thought back to the night of the eclipse. Amber's tears had been so genuine, and I'd heard the truth behind his words when he mentioned saving "her". My eyes flickered to the afternoon sun before falling back on Red. "There are some things you just can't lie about."

He didn't say anything, only focusing even more on his hands. Things were quiet for a while, and I was trying to think of something to say when he spoke up. "I wish I could be as optimistic about him as you."

I tilted my head. "Why can't you?"

He chuckled a little. "It's not that easy."

My eyebrows scrunched as I turned to him. "Well, why not?"

The slight smile fell from his face, and he looked at the sky. "Because I'm afraid that he might take you away from me."

I rolled back on my bottom and wrapped my arms around my knees. "We're doing pretty well at running away. I haven't been kidnapped yet."

Red sat motionless. "That's not quite what I meant."

Confusion was evident on my face as he suddenly arose and I stood up with him. "What do you—"

"Yellow," he said before I could finish my sentence, "there's something I need to tell you."

My puzzlement grew as he turned his back to me, hand at the base of his neck. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

He paused and slowly turned back. "I know. I've been trying to say this for a while now, and if I don't say it now, I'm not sure if I'll ever have the chance to do it again."

Finally bringing his eyes to mine, I froze at what I saw there. Suddenly I was hanging in mid-air again, one hand in Red's and the other in Amber's. Red's gaze now was the same as it'd been then, the same expression his brother had worn at that exact moment. I'd found myself staring at the softest shades of amber and red. It was like glimpsing upon two pools of honey and crimson, each warmed by some unseen internal fire. The same fire that was faintly burning in Red's eyes at this very moment.

I felt like I knew what that fire was, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. I lifted my hand up as if in question, and at the same time, Red pulled his away from the back of his neck. The two collided, and my eyes widened as my new power kicked in. My tongue sang with the strange taste of Cheri Berries and mint, and along with it came the same fire I'd seen in his eyes. Now it raced across my skin, filling every part of me with its gentle warmth. It was the type of warmth that seemed to envelope me in a soft happiness. It was such a simple touch yet full of so much care.

_Wait. …care?_

My eyes widened as Red gave a sigh. "Yellow, I—"

My hand jerked away on its own. The movement startled Red a moment, and he tilted his head. I took a slight step back, and he retracted the hand he had been reaching out to me. He opened his mouth uncertainly but closed it a second later.

He didn't need to finish his sentence. I already knew what he was going to say. And he knew I did, too.

Taking another step back, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as his eyes widened in confusion. "Yellow?"

I helplessly opened my mouth to say something, letting it gape a moment before clamping it shut and swiftly turning to run away. I heard him call my name, but all I could think was to run. I had to get away from him. I didn't think I could deal with something like that at the moment. Amber's face flashed through my mind, and I cringed as I ran. Not when I still had some things to think through.

I was so caught up with my predicament that I had no idea where I was until I ran into something and fell backwards. Cradling my head, I picked up my hat and looked up to see that I was sprawled before the front doors of Cinnabar's Pokemon Mansion. I was seeking refuge from others so I could have some time alone with my thoughts, and this seemed like the perfect place. Straightening my hat on my head, I pushed against the old doors, relieved when they gave way to my touch. They creaked open on their hinges, and I slipped inside, submerging myself in the darkness as they slammed shut once more.

Green

"Thanks, White!" Blue yelled as the other brunette waved and ran off to set up her stage. She turned to me with a light huff. "Okay! They're still getting the crowd settled into the stadium so we have some time to go find some seats of our own."

I nodded and followed her through Cinnabar Gym's front doors. We'd run into White just a few minutes ago while arriving for the battle, and she told us that it would be starting here soon. It was a going to be a simple 2-on-2 match so she had enough time to set up in the back field. I knew it wasn't going to last very long, but Black and Silver were definitely going to give the crowd a show.

Inside the Gym, the battlefield was completely surrounded by bleachers full of eagerly-awaiting spectators. Black and Silver had yet to appear, and that only seemed to make the anticipation in the room rise. Blue managed to spot some open seats in the front row and dragged me over to them before they were claimed by someone else. I nearly fell over as she threw me into one of them and plopped down in the other.

"You don't have to be so rough," I muttered.

She rolled her eyes at me with a smirk as I sat up. "Oh, don't be such a baby."

I huffed at her and looked on either side of us, seeing no more free seats. "Is there going to be any room left when Red and Yellow get here?"

Blue shrugged. "If not, then they can just stand with the other people who couldn't get seats." She grinned. "Side by side, together among all those people…."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You planned that didn't you?"

She only giggled. I sighed which only seemed to make her laughter rise. Shaking my head, I snuck a glance at her out of the corner on my eye. The smile on her face was evidence of her happiness, and I felt a sting of guilt at how long it'd been since I'd last seen it.

"Hey, Blue."

She turned to me still chuckling. "Yeah?"

"You know, I will answer your question." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know when, but I will."

Her smile vanished, and she looked down at the battlefield. "It's okay. I don't really care about it anymore."

I looked at her and frowned. "No, I mean it, Blue. I will—"

"Green," she cut me off. "Just drop it. It doesn't matter to me anymore."

My jaw slowly shut, and I stared at her in surprise. She kept her gaze averted from mine, and I watched her intently until her eyebrows scrunched as she focused on something in the distance. "Red?"

That broke my stare as I looked up to see the black-haired boy approaching us alone. His hands were hanging at his side, and he was watching his feet as he walked. He stopped and looked up when he saw that he'd reached us. "Hey guys. Has it started yet?"

Blue tilted her head. "It's about to. Where's Yellow?"

He smiled half-heartedly. "She said she had to do something and told me to go on without her. She'll be here in a little bit."

The puzzlement lightened on Blue's face but still remained. "Alright, well you made it just in time!"

He gave a faint chuckle, and I raised an eyebrow at his strange attitude. Standing up, I leaned my head near his. "What happened?"

He paused before answering. "I tried to tell her."

My eyes widened a little before I nodded. "I'll go find her."

"G-Green!" He stuttered in surprise.

I met his eyes solemnly. "Just let me try to talk to her."

He held my gaze for a moment before silently nodding his head. "Okay. I have a feeling she headed towards the Pokemon Mansion."

I nodded back and left him with Blue. Fighting my way through the crowd, I glanced over my shoulder. Red was watching me, still a little surprised, but quickly shook his head and sat down next to Blue who was tilting her own. A memory from the night I lost my temper about Amber with Yellow popped up as I continued walking. Shaking my head slightly at Red, I turned back around and focused on weaving around people. This probably wasn't the right time for him to tell her how he felt about her. She was probably still…confused about Amber.

Finally I was able to break free of the throng of people and flung myself out the front doors before I got sucked back in. I stood there panting a moment, glaring at the mass of bodies, before dusting my arms and setting off. Outside, it was much less crowded and easier to maneuver around anyone that might come along. I aimed my path for the north side of town, and it wasn't too long until I was standing before the grand old Pokemon Mansion. The building had been abandoned long ago but was still visited by someone every now and then.

Grabbing the handles, I gave the front doors a one-over and slowly opened them. They groaned loudly, the noise echoing into the mansion's interior. The closing of the doors resonated through the floorboards with a boom, and I could vaguely make out my surroundings with the sunlight streaming in through the windows lining the walls. All the furniture I could see was coated in a thin layer of dust, and darkness stained the corners where the light could not reach. Despite all that, the building had a comfy aura to it that could instantly make someone feel at home.

I was observing the particularly interesting carving of a mahogany table when I heard something crash on the upper level. My head whipped up at the noise, and I silently followed its sound. Swiftly ascending the stairs, I slowed down upon reaching the top and squinted my eyes to see into the faint light. Walking over, I realized it was Yellow struggling to upright a fallen wall desk.

I gripped the other end of the small table and helped her, causing the short girl to jump back in surprise. "My Lugia! Who is that?" I finished resetting the desk and stepped into a shaft of light for her. "Oh! It's you, Green!" I nodded and watched as she gave a sigh. "I'm sorry. I heard something and knocked this over. I guess it was you coming in. Wait, why are you here?"

Seeing a door up ahead, my curiosity took over a moment, and I walked inside the room. It was an ornate dining hall, surprising since it was on the second level instead of the ground floor. Yellow came in after me and stood with her hands behind her back. "Um, Green?"

I turned to find her standing next to me. "I came to check on you." She tilted her head. "Red told me you'd suddenly gone off." I raised an eyebrow as her light green eyes widened a little. "I figured something might be wrong."

She looked down at the dining table and started rocking on her heels. "Oh."

I glanced at her and stuffed my hands in my pockets. "Yellow, I'm sorry."

The blonde's head came up in surprise. "Whatever for?"

I sighed. "I shouldn't have blown up on you the other night like I did. I was really worked up, and it wasn't right of me to take it out on you."

She blinked and gave a weak chuckle. "No, that's alright. I probably needed to hear what you said anyway."

I turned my eyes to her. "Still, I hope you don't let it bother you too much."

She didn't say anything, only frowning a little.

My eyes narrowed a pinch. "And don't let it affect how you answer Red, okay?"

Yellow remained silent, slowly straightening her crooked hat. It looked as if she was about to say something when a set of windows on the other side of the room suddenly flew open and clanged against the wall. Our heads shot up in time to catch a glimpse of a blue tail before it was gone, and we heard wings beating in the distance.

Yellow's hand fell from her hat, and she was already halfway to the window by the time I realized she was gone. Running behind her, I stopped suddenly when I found her standing at the window sill, a folded sheet of paper in her hands.

"What is it?" I asked, slightly alarmed.

Her eyes widened. "Amber."

* * *

Me: *glances up from books* Dun dun dun!

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop* I don't think there was enough suspense for that.

Me: *closes books* Oh well!

Gardevoir: *raises eyebrow* Done studying, eh?

Me: Yup! *whips out laptop* AND NOW TO SYAORAN!

Gardevoir: *facepalm*

Me: *watching episodes* Ah, Syaoran...

Gardevoir: *smirks and whispers in ear* Spoiler Alert: He's a clone.

Me: *jaw drops open*

Gardevoir: *skips away* Hehe my work is done!

Me: *frozen from shock* B-But... *mind explosion*

Haha! Stay tuned everyone! *tear tear* All that's left now is the final chapter... ;D Review and return!


	19. Chapter 19: Finally

Me: Last day of school, last chapter of the story *nod* Seems fitting. Geez guys, I worked on this for five straight hours last night, and you wouldn't believe how many words it is. Almost 10,000 O_O So I hope you all appreciate it. Now, it's time to give the reviewers a little thank you!

_**POKESPE-FAN:**_Haha, can I just say, I love how you replay the chapter in your reviews. Totally makes me smile! Oh, and Garvidor! XD

_**ripplehealer A.K.A. ooo Ripple Healer**__**ooo: **_Thank you so much for all the support you've given! I really do appreciate it and I do hope all your tests went well :D

_**Max's Local**__** Food:**_ I miss you so much. I know you haven't had a lot of time to read the story lately, but you still stand up for me and it makes me happy to know I have such a great friend. Love you Max!

**_Oldrivalshipper1: _**I'm a bit late on this, but thanks so much for the compliments!

_**YellowSaphfan69: **_Haha! Yeah, Xtransceiver does sound cooler XD

**_coralsky: _**Yes, I made Melany mysterious for a reason. So her true self is hidden from you readers until the appropriate time :D Haha I feel kinda evil now...XD

_**Absolette: **_I'm glad to know that my stories have met your expectations! Hopefully the future ones will as well!

_**iluvfanfics09: **_How did I think of this story? Hohoho...you don't wanna know...it'd take too long to explain XD

_**supersexyghotmew95:** _Lol I've been writin' stories; where you been?

_**Guest:**_ I try to keep everyone in character as much as possible. That's what makes the story more real

**_pokefan: _**If this were part of the manga, we might have some issues...lol

_**Crazy Taco:** _Amazing reviewer! XD

_**Shin H. Vega:** _Hiram, what can I even say about you? You're a great writing buddy and I thank you for sticking with me throughout this series. *wink* I finally figured out that whole title issue XD

**_Eeveleon: _**That's exactly why I chose Lulu. Because it's new.

**_Ahhh D: _**Haha make sure to give your eyes a rest every once in a while!

**_Ohhhhhh noessss: _**I hope you're okay now that you know Yellow's fine. Well, at least she was... :D Feeling evil again

_**name:**_Glad we got that cleared ;)

_**Qindox:**_I am determined to update whenever I can! XD

_**Iciclefang:**_I'm a victim of laziness as well *shrug* Happens to the best of us! :D

_**gokkylegend:**_Why thank you!

**_Amy47101: _**Yes, Amy-chan! White and Black are back! Hehe, rhyme...

**_That dorky blonde: _**:D Thanks!

**_Trutown:_**I've already spoken with you Trutown, and like I said, I will remember your advice as I continue to write. Thanks for your contribution.

**_Shadowhunter456: _**Haha I just learned what posh meant too long ago...but thanks for understanding that I do have a life! XD

**_Shea Yuu:_**Haha sorry I didn't update much in February but thanks for tagging along anyway!

**_HandInTheCookieJar: _**I'm gonna spoil something for you. They aren't Silver's contacts. O_O

_**lunatic guriburu:**_lol worship?

**_Mushkah: _**I try to keep things clean and somewhat smart-sounding XD

**_Michael Mario: _**Lol I know you're not yelling. It's all good

**_NoProb101:_**Don't worry. Green's about to suck it up :D

**_Iwataki: _**Pssht who needs TV? We have this awesome story that's about to close! Let's go!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. That's just how it is. **

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Silver

"Go, Brav!"

"Feraligatr!"

The ground vibrated as my starter Pokemon emerged onto the field and let out a roar. Glancing around his huge form, I watched as Black motioned for his already-released Flying type to take its place across from my Water type. Its wings beat hard to propel it into the air, and even though Black wasn't as experienced as me, I knew his Pokemon were very powerful.

The crowd around us was cheering like mad, and the stadium echoed like crazy. Many of them were on their feet and yelling while others simply watched from their seats. A chant soon started, tons of voices combining into one to shout, "Battle!"

Not wanting to make them wait any longer, Black cupped his hands over his mouth. "Let's go! Aerial Ace!"

I narrowed my eyes_. _"Dodge it!"

Feraligatr tried to get out of the way, but Aerial Ace is known for its inability to miss. Brav's beak raked across his blue hide, and I winced as he cried out. The Flying type was in and out like a flash, swooping back into the sky within a matter of seconds. Feraligatr stumbled a little but had no trouble regaining his footing as I tried to come up with an idea.

Physical attacks were pointless as Brav was positioned quite far above Feraligatr so I tried a different tactic. "Use Hydro Cannon!"

A blast of water erupted from the Water type's mouth and headed straight for the Braviary. Black was fast to react, though. "Quick! Fly down and use Air Slash!"

Brav retracted his wings and quickly lost altitude, missing Feraligatr's Ultimate move by just a hair. Just as he'd cleared the powerful jet, he slashed his wings through the air and sent the sharp pockets headed right for Feraligatr. They didn't seem like they'd do all that much, but my mouth dropped open a little as he was blown flat on his back. It took him a minute to get back on his feet, and I could tell he had taken some damage.

"Alright, Hydro Cannon again!" I yelled.

As Feraligatr fought to shoot down Brav, I looked across the field at Black with a raised eyebrow. He smirked and looked up at his Pokemon. "Sky Drop!"

I raised my other eyebrow as well as Brav stopped dodging attacks and headed straight for Feraligatr. There was no way he was going to be able to pick up my almost-two-hundred pound Pokemon. My jaw dropped yet again, though, as with a grunt, Brav took Feraligatr to the sky. I clenched my teeth a little. I wanted to tell him to try and get out of Brav's grip, but then he'd just get hurt falling back to the ground. Looking up, I saw Brav reach his peak and let go of Feraligatr. I sweat-dropped. Guess it didn't really matter now.

I could only watch as Feraligatr flailed helplessly around before Brav slammed him into the battlefield and sent dust flying everywhere. The impact had the ground shaking, and the air slowly cleared to show my Pokemon struggling to get up. Before he was back on his feet, Brav was already flying again and awaiting Black's next order.

I was trying to come up with a plan when Black called out. "Sky Drop again!"

As Feraligatr stood up and Brav began to descend, I finally got an idea. The Flying type began to pick up speed in his descent, and Feraligatr looked to me in distress.

"Wait for it!" I told him. He nodded and kept his eyes locked on Brav who was getting closer by the second. I narrowed my own eyes and watched him approach. _Closer…closer…_. "Now! Dodge it and grab his tail!"

Brav was just getting ready to snatch up Feraligatr when I gave him the command. Just barely sidestepping, he managed to evade Brav's claws and snag his tail feathers. Once he had a hold on him, I didn't even have to tell him what to do. He immediately executed a critical hit Ice Punch. Brav gave out a cry and collapsed in Feraligatr's arms.

Black wasn't one to go down easy, though. "Come on, Brav! Sky Drop once more!"

The Flying type shook its head and hooked onto Feraligatr with his talons. Before his opponent could react, Brav quickly shot up into the air with a beat of his wings. Reaching the crest of his flight, he released Feraligatr and prepared to slam him into the field again.

However, I had a different idea. "Get yourself turned over and use Hydro Cannon on the battlefield!"

As Brav closed in, Feraligatr was able to twist himself around to face the oncoming field and let loose a pillar of demolishing water. It impacted the ground and sent him shooting up into the air past Brav. The Flying type was taken by surprise and stopped his attack.

"Now!" I yelled. "Use Hydro Cannon on Brav!"

Since the foe was now below him, Feraligatr was able to pause the attack that was keeping him suspended in mid-air and aim it at Brav who wasn't fast enough to dodge it. It rammed into his side and sent him colliding with the battlefield. He didn't move, and I smiled as Feraligatr aimed at the ground again and slowly began to descend.

Black was frowning and cupping his hands over his mouth. "COME ON, BRAV! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! SKY ATTACK!"

My eyes widened as his Pokemon actually began struggling to get up. I hurriedly looked up at Feraligatr and realized in relief that he was still in mid-air. If he was on the ground, it would have been easier for Brav to target him from the sky like the last time he used that attack.

But apparently Brav had another plan. Instead of trying to fly above Feraligatr and dive bomb him like last time, he bunched up his muscles and leapt straight into the air at him. Feraligatr was still twenty feet up descending on his column of water so he had no way of dodging Brav. The Flying type sent him flailing through the air, too unbalanced to use another Hydro Cannon to land.

"And now!" Black shouted in triumph. "One more time!"

Feraligatr was already beginning to fall towards the field, and that was all Brav needed to maximize his move's power. Tucking his wings in, he shot down at Feraligatr like a bullet and slammed into his unprotected underside. Right at the last second, Brav beat his wings and swooped back into the air, leaving Feraligatr to crash into the ground alone. An explosion of dust followed, and as it began to clear, it was obvious that my Pokemon had lost.

Black let out a cry and beamed at Brav who landed tiredly but cried back to him. "Way to go, Brav!" The brunette cheered. "Just one more opponent!"

Brav was about to nod and get back into the air when he let out a piercing cry and collapsed. Black's eyes widened, and he craned his neck to see my Weavile retracting his claw from Brav's feathers.

"You've always got to pay attention," I told him. "It's not that hard to get in another Ice Punch when your opponent's distracted."

He shook his head in disbelief and nodded mutely before returning his fallen Pokemon. His Pokeball went back in his pocket, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise as he turned to look over his shoulder.

"Are you ready?" He asked his hood. It quivered a bit, and the stadium seemed to gasp as a furry brown head popped out and blinked at everyone. The Eevee nuzzled Black's cheek before jumping out of her hidey hole and onto the battlefield.

"…Yang?" I asked uncertainly, trying to think of what his Eevee's name was.

He shook his head. "Nope, Yin." Glancing down at her, he smiled encouragingly. "Let's see if your training has paid off. Tackle!"

Yin nodded at him and started charging towards Weavile. Her speed was astounding, and Weavile only had a few seconds before she came barreling into his side. He was thrown back a good ten feet, and Yin retreated as he began to recover. Pulling out my Pokedex, I saw that the Eevee's speed was abnormally higher than its other stats, but overall, Yin was significantly weaker than Weavile. One hit and she would go down. The only problem was _if _we could hit her.

"Okay," I told Weavile. "Try an Ice Punch."

Leaping across the field, he closed in on Yin, and an icy aura enveloped his claw. Yin saw this and just as his fist was coming down, she jumped up and out of the way. Landing behind him, she bounced away again as he turned around and struck once more. The same routine went on for a couple more hits until Weavile punched an empty space once again and paused a moment to catch his breath. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yin sprinted forward, raced up his arm, and Tackled him straight in the face. The blow sent him hurtling towards Black, and Yin landed softly on her paws. Weavile was on his feet in a second, eyes narrowing. That attack wasn't near enough to take him down, but I knew the fact that he couldn't just defeat Yin in one shot was making him irritated.

"Covet!" Black commanded.

Weavile watched warily as Yin calmly walked up to him and started rubbing her head against his side. He eyed her uncertainly, and just as he was about to move away, she slapped him in the face with her tail and unleashed a flurry of teeth and claws on his unsuspecting face. He let out a cry, and Yin scurried away to escape the Ice Punch he had aimed at her. Without even waiting for my command, he stealthily followed her and raised his claws for a Faint Attack. She nimbly dodged and jumped off his head to avoid being hit, sending him face-planting the battlefield. He lifted his head, eyes narrowed and a growl in his throat. He started standing up only to be hit in the back with Take Down. The blow sent him flying, and he landed in a heap in front of me. Frustration beginning to take over, he was about to head towards Yin when I told him to wait a minute.

I smirked at him. "I have an idea."

Once hearing it, he nodded and set out for the Eevee again. She saw him coming and dodged his Ice Punch. Weavile turned and started chasing her down with Ice Punches like he'd done before. Just like last time, Yin dodged them all, and Weavile stopped, panting, as they found themselves in a large puddle left over from Brav and Feraligatr's battle. As Weavile was trying to recharge, Yin dashed forward with another Tackle that sent him hurtling out of the puddled area. She landed comfortably on her feet again, paws sinking slightly into the somewhat deep water.

Seeing this, I waved at Weavile. "Alright, now use Icy Wind."

A freezing chill permeated the air as Weavile sent the move towards Yin. She was getting ready to run and dodge it when a strange cracking sound stopped her. Weavile smirked in satisfaction as the water she was standing in froze and immobilized her. As she struggled to escape, he jumped on top of the ice and began to skate atop its surface. Yin fought harder as he started closing, but by the time she got her paws freed, Weavile was already too close. He let loose a Faint Attack that was so powerful it sent shattered ice flying everywhere.

Everyone in the stadium was silent as the last of the shards settled onto the ground, and Weavile stood over a knocked out Yin. Then the crowd broke out in applause, and Black and I returned our Pokemon while walking to meet each other in the center of the field.

"That was so exciting!" Black exclaimed once we'd stopped to watch the crowd. "I never expected Yin to be that fast!"

"You must have trained her very well then," I told him with a nod.

He smiled happily, and we watched as White suddenly appeared in the air above us with Kitty holding her back and a microphone in her hand. She started introducing the BW Agency to the crowd and after a few minutes of announcements invited everyone out back for the small musical production.

Black and I watched as everyone started filing out the doors to the back field, and the stands soon became empty save for two people who were walking down the stairs towards us. Blue was nodding her head in approval, and Red was making no attempt to hide his delight. He walked right up to Black and gave him a high-five.

"You know, you held up pretty good against someone who's much more experienced than you," Red told him merrily.

The brunette smiled at his praise, and I protested lightly as Blue ruffled my hair. "I knew you would win all along!"

"Stop it…" I muttered in embarrassment, pushing her away. She laughed and obediently retracted her hands. Seeing just her and Red, I looked around curiously. "Where's Green and Yellow?"

Red's smile faltered, and Blue tilted her head in puzzlement. "They're doing something right now, but they'll be here later. For now, let's go watch White's musical."

Black nodded in agreement, and Red did the same albeit while watching the entance to the Gym. Blue started ushering us towards the back exit that the crowd had gone out earlier, and I watched Red as he walked along, eyes never leaving those front doors.

Green

I froze and stared at Yellow like she was crazy. "W-What?"

She held the note up to me. "It's from Amber, Green."

I face-palmed. "No, I get that. I'm just…surprised. What does it say?"

"Let's see." Her eyes scanned the text, and it was obvious that there wasn't a lot because she was done a second later. "He…wants me to see him."

My eyes narrowed. "Well, he can want what he wants, but he's not going to get it."

"But Green," she said while refolding the paper, "he's says it's not a trap. He just wants to talk."

I groaned and face-palmed again. "That's exactly what he _wants_ you to think. It's quite obvious that it_ is _a trap just from the fact that he feels the need to say that it isn't."

Yellow sighed. "_OR_ he could actually just want to talk to me."

I scoffed. "Look—"

"Green," she cut me off. "You told me that I don't have feelings for Amber. That I've simply become confused over how I feel about Red. Right?"

I blinked and nodded. "Yes."

Her fists clenched slightly. "Then let me figure that out for myself. Let me go see him. Maybe if I can talk to him, I can finally set my feelings straight."

I stared at her determined eyes and sighed. "Yellow, there's too much at stake with this. One, there's a good possibility that Amber is lying about this. That leads to number two where it's a trap, and he kidnaps you. And three, there's every chance that the rest of us might actually not be able to find you afterwards."

"Then I'll just have to take that risk," she replied with a shrug.

"No, Yellow." I grabbed her shoulders. "Promise me you won't go see him."

She looked away with her eyes shut tight, but I kept watching her.

"Please. For Red."

They shot open and widened as she looked up at me. After a moment, she let out a silent sigh. "Alright."

I nodded and let her go. "Thank you." She only watched the ground, and I sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Yellow. We just don't want anything to happen to you."

She nodded her blond head slightly. "Yeah, I know."

I shut the open windows in front of us. "Why don't we head back and see if we can catch at least the end of the battle?"

"Okay."

I helped her maneuver through the gloom of the Pokemon Mansion, doing my best to avoid anything that might trip her. After a few minutes we were back outside, guarding our eyes against the harsh afternoon sun. I shut the doors behind us and caught up with Yellow who had gone to the end of the walkway and paused to wait for me. She straightened her hat, and we started heading for the Gym.

Yellow made no move to start a conversation nor did I as we became lost in our own thoughts. Her hand clenched Amber's note until she shook her head slightly and put it in her pocket. I watched her sigh and rub her arm before I turned into my own angry mind.

_What does Amber think he's doing? Isn't it bad enough that he's already betrayed her once? Does he really not feel bad about lying and tricking her again?!_

I didn't realize Yellow had been watching me until she took my hand and tasted my emotions. My eyes widened, and I slowly took my hand back once she released it.

"Please don't be angry with him," she said quietly.

I scoffed and curled up a lip. "That's kind of inevitable at this point, Yellow."

She frowned. "Maybe to you."

I turned to her and sighed heatedly. "It really does amaze me sometimes how you think he has any hope of redeeming himself."

After thinking a moment, she said, "Well, he has yet to tell us why he's really doing anything. So I'm choosing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

I couldn't think of any way to respond to that. She looked up at me with wide eyes. "Instead of jumping to conclusions, why not give him a chance?"

I stared at her a moment before looking away with huff and a smirk. "Come on. We're almost to the Gym."

She frowned again but followed me anyway as we walked up to the Gym's doors and pushed them open. Inside, we could see that the battle stadium was empty and realized that we'd arrived too late. Remembering the musical, I led the way to the back exit and headed outside to find that White was already halfway done with the production. Yellow craned her neck over the crowd sitting on the grass in front of the stage to find our friends. After a minute, she gave up and looked to me. I was already on it, though, and spotted them in the first row nearest the stage. Pointing them out, I began to make a path for them with Yellow right behind me.

A couple of people got nudged along the way, but we were finally able to reach the others. Yellow sat down next to Blue who was sitting on Silver's right while his left was occupied by Red. Next to Red was Black who I decided to sit by.

"Green!" He whispered with excitement. "Where have you been?! You missed the battle!"

I crossed my arms and closed my eyes with a sigh. "Had some business to take care of. Who won?"

His merriment depleted. "Silver…"

I smiled faintly. "Don't worry. You'll get better."

He seemed to cheer up at that, and we looked up at the stage to see that music was coming to an end and the Pokemon were beginning to bow. The crowd started cheering, and we joined in as White walked out.

"Thank you all for coming! I do hope you all consider approaching the BW Agency for all your talent dreams! Have a good night!"

Kitty's butterfly wings popped out behind her, and she bowed with the rest of her bureau's Pokemon. The crowd clapped loudly, and White and the actors straightened up to wave as everyone started arising. Black jumped to his feet and ran up to join her on stage.

"White, that was great!" He exclaimed once reaching her.

The rest of us watched as she gave a thrilled hop and clasped his hands. "Was it? Oh, I'm so excited! I just know we're going to get more Kanto business now!"

A hint of pink arose on Black's face, and he smiled nervously. "N-No doubt!"

I heard Blue giggle and looked over to see her dispatch herself from between Silver and Yellow. Hopping onto the stage, she wrapped an arm around White and smirked. "So. How long are you and Black staying here in Kanto?"

White blinked, calming down and realizing she was holding Black's hands. Gasping lightly, she pulled them back and turned to Blue with rosy cheeks. "W-Well, I talked to my faculty back in Unova, and we all agreed to set up a permanent Kanto branch. So, basically as long as we'd like so long as we keep up the business."

Blue gave out a cry of happiness. "That's great!"

White nodded happily as Red looked up at them from the ground. "So did you guys get the chance to talk to Professor Oak?"

The pony-tailed brunette's smile fell, but she nodded yet again. "Yes, but can we talk about that in a little bit? I'd like to take care of things here before we sit down and discuss it."

Red nodded and joined the trio on stage. "Sure, we can help you."

She smiled gratefully, and everybody else began to gather around her for further instruction. As she began divvying up the work between everyone, I managed to grab Blue's arm and drag her off the stage.

"Ah! Green, what is it?" She asked confused.

"I've got something to tell you," I told her lowly. "Come on."

She raised an eyebrow. "Can't this wait until later?"

I shook my head. "No, it can't."

She held my gaze a second before nodding. "Alright, let's go."

She didn't ask any questions as I took us back into the Gym and the house wing of the building. Her fingers played with the ends of her skirt while she walked, and she looked up as I led the way into the kitchen.

"Hm? Are we discussing…what to make for supper?" She asked in confusion.

I shook my head harshly and leaned against the sink. "No. There's something else."

Blue took a seat at the island and laid her chin on her hands. "I'm all ears."

"Amber wants to see Yellow."

She blinked. "C-Come again?"

I crossed my arms. "We just came back from the Pokemon Mansion. Amber dropped off a note asking Yellow to go talk to him."

"Trap," she said flatly.

I nodded with a huff. "My thoughts exactly. And she even wants to go."

Blue's jaw dropped open. "Doesn't she realize…"

"The risk?" I finished for her. "Yeah, she does. Yet she still wants to." I narrowed my eyes. "She thinks it'll help sort out her emotions."

Blue's eyes filled with empathy. "Oh, Yellow…"

"For some reason," I sighed, "she still believes in him."

Blue didn't move. "Could we come with her to make sure nothing happens?"

I turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Probably not. I'd guess he wants to talk to her alone."

She looked down at her hands. "Oh."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah…why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering." Standing up, she stalked past me to the fridge and opened its door. "Let's make some dinner for when everyone finishes cleaning."

Pulling out some vegetables, she walked around me as I only continued watching her move about the kitchen. She set them down on the counter to my right before setting out to look for a cutting board. I noticed she hadn't closed the fridge all the way, and when I went to close it, there was a loud crashing from behind. Whipping around, I found Blue sitting beneath a pile of cookie sheets, her hand slowly tilting the one on her head back.

"Sure wasn't expecting that," she chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and stalked over to put the trays back in the cabinet she had disturbed. She gratefully handed them to me from the floor, and once the last of them were put away, I grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. After she was stable, I ran a light hand over her head to make sure she was okay.

She huffed and swatted it away. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Taking my hand back, I started searching the remaining cabinets for the cutting board. Just as I found it on one of the top shelves, Blue poked me in the side, and I looked down at her as my arms reached for the board. "You're kind of overprotective, you know?"

I paused a moment, my eyes widening a little. I quickly shook my head though and headed back to the counter with the cutting board. "Let's get to work. How does soup sound?"

I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my head but refused to look back at her as I started cutting a carrot. A solid minute later she appeared at my side, silent as she took up the rest of the vegetables and starting running them under the sink faucet. She handed them to me one by one, and one by one they were sliced and deposited into a large pot that we had boiling water in. We started adding in the rest of the ingredients, and it wasn't long before everyone began arriving from the clean-up.

"Ah, what smells good?" Black sighed in content, plopping down in a seat at the island.

White followed in after him and claimed the one on his left. "Yes, it's quite the pleasing aroma."

Blue looked up from where she was stirring at the stove. "Oh, we just made some vegetable soup. It'll be done here in a little bit. You guys can go watch some TV in the living room until it's done."

The two brunettes nodded and passed on the news to the other three who were just about to walk in. Making sure Blue had everything handled, I trailed after them as they migrated into the main living area. Silver was perched on a single recliner, Black and White were on the couch on the far wall, and Yellow rested on the floor at Red's feet as he sat on the single chair above her.

Taking a seat next to Black on the couch, I turned to White on his other side. "No problems cleaning up?"

She shook her head. "None at all. Thanks to everyone, we were able to get it done within the hour!"

I nodded. "Good. So getting back to the previous subject, were you able to meet up with Professor Oak and Juniper?"

She nodded back at me. "We were only in Unova for a few days, but we made sure to go see them after checking in with the agency."

Red leaned against his chair's armrest. "What did he say?"

"He told us he'd be back in Kanto as soon as he can," Black explained with sympathy. "They were in the middle of a research project and had just started restoring an old book Professor Rowan had sent them. He has to finish the page he was working on before he can come back or its data will be lost. He should be here by the end of the week, though."

I nodded. "We'll be fine until then." My eyes slid to Yellow's unfocused ones. "As long as we don't do anything stupid."

Her head snapped up, and her gaze locked with mine as Red's eyebrows scrunched. After a moment, she hesitantly got to her feet and made her ways towards the exit. "I'm going to…go lay down for a bit."

Silver cocked his head as she walked out. "Did something happen?"

I sighed. "Yes, something did happen."

By then everyone was watching me expectantly, and I sighed again. "She got a note from Amber asking to meet up and talk."

The entire room went dead silent. Red and Silver were glaring while Black and White's eyes revealed their shock.

"From…Amber?" White repeated.

I nodded. "We got it during the battle."

Red closed his eyes with a tense frown. "She's not going. I won't allow it."

Silver nodded tersely. "Neither will I."

Black shook his head slowly. "Yeah, I have to agree with them on this one."

White was the only one to remain quiet, a finger to her chin in unsure thought.

"Green and I thought it might be a trap," Blue suddenly said from behind. She came in carrying a tray full of bowls with hot soup. Carefully handing one along with a spoon to everybody, she saved the last for herself and settled down against the couch near my feet.

"It's quite possible," Silver said lowly.

Red nodded in agreement and fumingly ate a bit of soup. Black did the same and swallowed loudly. "So if Amber could deliver a letter, doesn't that mean he knows where we are?"

Blue rested her head in her hand a moment. "You're right." She sighed. "Guess we're going to have to relocate. _Again_."

Silver suddenly arose and walked out of the room. A second later, he came back with a map of the island and Blaine's Gym. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged. "They were hanging up in his office."

Blue swatted his arm as he laid them out on the table. "It's not nice to take things without permission, Silvy!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Says the girl who didn't have a problem with 'borrowing' Red's badges. Besides, you and I both know we'd all feel a lot better if we had a plan in case Amber shows up."

Everyone nodded and joined him around the table. The hours slipped by as we plotted and prepared for every possible scenario. When we were done with our extensive planning, it amazed all of us that the sunlight was almost gone. Blue began cleaning up the bowls, and Silver went to help her in the kitchen. As White and Black studied the notes we'd written on some lined paper, I turned to find Red staring at the map of the island.

"Something wrong?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "I just have this nagging feeling that no matter how much we plan beforehand, we won't be able to stop Amber."

I narrowed my eyes and cuffed him over the head, making his cap fall off. "Stop it."

He smirked and reached for his hat as Blue walked in with a bowl. "Red, would you take this to Yellow? She hasn't eaten yet, and I'm sure she's hungry."

The raven-haired boy nodded without protest and took the bowl from her. He went to complete her request, and she walked back to the kitchen to finish cleaning. Turning to Black and White, I saw that the boy was shuffling through the papers while the girl stared at the maps like Red had before. She hugged her arms gently, and I realized she hadn't spoken a word since I mentioned Amber.

She noticed me staring and shook her head quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry! What did you need?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything."

She sighed. "Oh, okay. Sorry, I just…did Yellow want to see Amber as well?"

I eyed her warily. "…yes."

Her eyes widened. "We haven't seen her in a couple hours…d-do you think she may have—"

"Green!" Red yelled from the hallway. All three of our heads snapped up as he barged into the room, slightly breathless like he'd been running. His eyes swelled with anxiety, and my own widened as he exclaimed, "She's gone!"

"I knew it," White murmured.

Red ran over and frantically handed me a piece of paper. "This was lying on her bed."

I took the slip and opened it, not at all surprised at what I found.

_I'm sorry, Green._

Yellow

A chill was beginning to settle in the air as Kitty landed at the entrance to the Seafoam Islands. I'd gotten him back from White earlier and felt a stab of guilt when I used him to fly here.

"I know I promised you, Green," I whispered. Taking out Amber's note, I solemnly began to unfold it. "But I have to know."

I smoothed out the wrinkles and read the text one more time in the dying light.

_Dear Yellow,_

_I know you have no reason to trust me. That's only natural._

_But I'd really appreciate it if you'd hear me out. _

_I'm tired of doing this to you, and I'm done._

_If you want to come and talk to me, I'll be waiting at Articuno's_

_nest tonight. I'd rather you came alone, but don't worry. I_

_promise you this isn't a trap._

_A._

My fingers had unconsciously clenched the paper, and I released their hold as twilight began to fall. Looking into the darkness of the entry cave, I contemplated whether or not I could remember how to find the right passage. Not wanting to risk getting lost, I grabbed back onto Kitty and decided to just search for the ice castle in the air.

I circled the islands a few times, not seeing the small valley I was hoping to find. On the fifth round, I finally glimpsed a small sparkle and made out the clear building far below. Maneuvering through the rocky hills of the island, I was able to make it to the center of the valley where the castle was. Articuno's nest of blue feathers was right below, and I had Kitty carefully drop me on the roof next to it.

Returning him to his Pokeball, I looked around for any sign of life. Ten minutes went by with nothing, and I was about to head back to Cinnabar when the sound of beating wings came from above. I looked up in time to see Amber drop down from Baga's back and land in front of me.

He stood up slowly and inclined his head toward me. "Hello."

I nodded slowly as he returned Baga. "Hi."

Putting the Pokeball on his belt, he turned back to me and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So…how have you been?"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"

He sighed. "I'm trying to be normal."

I rubbed the back of my head. "Oh. I-It's not exactly working."

He gave a chuckle. "I can see that. To be honest, I'm surprised you actually came."

My head tilted. "Why wouldn't I?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "_Well,_ I'm not exactly portrayed as a good guy at the moment…"

I bit my lip. "Yes, but, you said you wanted to talk so…I thought I'd give you a chance."

"Oh," he blinked in surprise. "Well, thank you." I nodded in acknowledgement, and he chuckled little. "You know, you trust people way too much."

I frowned as I pictured Green in my head. "So I've been told."

He laughed again and stepped past me to sit down in the nest. After a minute, I hesitantly followed, keeping a safe distance as I sat on the soft blue feathers.

Suddenly holding up a finger, he reached under his shirt and grabbed the notebook that was hidden there. It was the size of a novel so it travelled quite easily in that position. I realized it was the one I'd given him and watched as he opened it to the first sketches of the Gardevoir he'd made.

"I've been practicing," he told me with a small smile. His fingers slowly turned the pages, showing the improvements between each drawing. Finally, they came to rest on the last page, and my jaw dropped a little. The Gardevoir was completely finished, the transformation from the rough sketch all the way to this finished image. I traced the edge of its dress, noticing the smooth curves and limited eraser marks.

"This…is really good," I whispered in awe. Even though he was currently my enemy, I couldn't help but praise him. Moving my gaze up from the skirt, I realized there was a yinyang hanging from the Pokemon's neck. Pointing at it, I scrunched my eyebrows and looked at his. "It's like yours."

He nodded somberly. "It used to be Jade's, but after…after she died, I gave it to her."

My eyes widened. "Her?"

Pulling a pencil out of the notebook's spiral, he wrote the name SAMANTHA in an empty space on the page. "Yeah, I gave it to Sam."

I paused a moment, the pieces finally clicking together after messing with them for a long time. "It's her isn't? She's the one you have to save?"

He turned to me and nodded. "Bingo."

I looked back at the picture. "Why? Does Team Rocket have her?"

Amber frowned and nodded again. "And I have to get her out of there as soon as possible. Before they…" His fist clenched. "Destroy her." I gasped, but he only continued. "They have something planned for her, and the only way I could save her was by bringing you to them. I didn't want to do that, though. I never have from the start. But if I don't' rescue her soon, then it's going to get bad."

I froze. "S-So, you're here to take me?"

He whipped around in shock. "No, no! That's exactly what I'm _not_ doing! I came here to tell you that I plan on getting Sam back and escaping from Team Rocket."

I tilted my head. "Why haven't you done that already?"

He scratched the back of his head. "At first I didn't think it was possible. The place they're holding her in is really high on security, and I couldn't find any way to break through it. However, I've been gradually finding kinks in its armor ever since they first kidnapped Sam and blackmailed me into this job." His eyes shone in the soft moonlight. "I think I can do it now. I've made up a plan, and after we're done talking, I'm going to get her and bring her back here."

I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. "I knew it! I knew you weren't evil!"

He blinked in surprise as I cheered to myself. "Y…You've believed me this entire time?"

I smiled at him. "Of course! I knew this 'kidnapper' person couldn't possibly be the real you!"

"Yellow, why…" His eyebrows scrunched. "Why would you do that?"

My cheering slowly faded as I took in his serious expression. "What do you mean?"

He only seemed to grow more confused. "I betrayed you; I've been trying to kidnap you; all your friends have chosen to think that I'm not good anymore, and I don't blame them…so why do you still believe in me?"

I blinked at him. "Because you're my friend, too. And I don't give up easily on my friends."

His eyes narrowed a fraction. "Is that what it is?" He leaned his face towards mine. "Yellow, you don't have feelings for me do you?"

I stiffened.

His eyes were unwavering. "Don't you care about Red?"

I gave an unsteady breath and closed my eyes.

Red. The boy who had saved me when I was little. The reason I had journeyed to battle Lance on Cerise Island. The last person to realize that I was actually a _girl_. The one who carried me, was ready to protect me even until petrification. The one I would protect even to death. The reason that I can smile every day knowing he'll be there. The person I would smile for even if I was dying inside. The boy who I cared about above all else in my life.

The boy that I…_loved_. That I've loved all along.

My breath caught in my throat, and I looked at Amber to see that secretly, he'd known it all along. "Yes, I do. More than anyone else in the world." I hastily continued as his face fell. "But, you can't feelings for me either, right?" He looked up sharply. "Because you love Jade."

His eyes widened, and I watched as realization dawned in his own mind. "I…I always have."

We stared at each for a moment before both of us busted out laughing. Laughing like two people who had just found out that their entire relationship had been a lie.

"Why?" Amber managed to say. "Why did we think we liked each other?"

I settled down enough to chuckle, "Green told me I'd become a victim of my own mind."

Amber held his arms up. "That's what I was told!" He laughed again and stood up. "Oh, I can't believe this! Okay! I'm going to get Sam right now! Wait for me?"

I smiled, glad that I was finally able to answer his question from the alley. "Yes."

He grinned at me and reached for Baga's Pokeball. "In that case, I'll be on my way—ah!"

The amber-eyed boy suddenly pitched forward as what felt like an earthquake vibrated the floor beneath him. He was about to stand up again when he let out a cry. I gasped as his form was suddenly engulfed in shocking electricity. He didn't appear to be in any pain, but his skin twitched as he fell to his knees.

"Wh-What?" He choked out, his voice coated in static.

Melany suddenly popped out from behind him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Hey all!"

Amber's eyes widened as another tremor shook the entire ice castle. "M-Melany? But how did you—"

"You told me you had something to do, and I was curious," she replied simply.

He couldn't move, paralyzed on his knees, and a strange eel-like Pokemon emerged from behind Melany. "Thank you, Eelektross," she told it warmly. "Thunder Wave worked perfectly."

Amber's eyes widened further, and he looked up at me, the only movement he was capable of. Melany returned her Pokemon and took a step toward me. "It's finally time for us to make our departure, Yellow."

Amber clenched his teeth and braced himself against another earthquake. "No, Melany!"

She turned to him and blinked. "Oh? Have you finally decided to quit Team Rocket?"

He nodded tersely. "You can't take her!"

She smiled sadly. "Don't worry. I won't let them hurt her."

I backed up as she turned towards me again, and Amber fought against his paralysis. "You can't promise me that! They'll do to her what they did to Sam!"

Melany's eyes hardened as she took a step. "Not if I can help it."

I tried to run, but she was older than me and faster. Within a few minutes, I was struggling against a duct tape handcuff and fighting against her as she grabbed my shoulders. Her Venomoth latched onto her shoulders, and I started getting frantic. I would've screamed, but she'd decided to cover my mouth with duct tape as well.

"I'd stop squirming if I were you," she warned. "You don't want to slip from my grasp and fall out of the sky."

That made me freeze a moment, long enough for her Venomoth to lift us off the ground while another quake reverberated through the ground.

By now Amber was crying out in protest, fingers twitching as he fought to regain control of them. "Melany, please! Don't do this!"

She frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, but it's already done."

The girl clicked her tongue at her Venomoth, and it took us higher into the air. Amber's cries got fainter and fainter as we gained altitude. I watched him fade and looked down at the castle to find that Red, Blue, Green, and Silver were fighting with Melany's henchmen in front of its doors, the reason for the earthquakes.

_They came for me, _I thought with tears in my eyes. Through my blurry vision, I found Red and let out a muffled cry. _I'm sorry, Red._ _I'm sorry for being an idiot._

Melany watched the ocean and wouldn't look at me as we left the Seafoam Islands behind. "It's time to see Master."

And just like that, it was all over.

Blue

"Where are they?!" Red yelled over the wind. He, Green, Silver, and I were currently circling the Seafoam Islands where we assumed Yellow had gone since it was the closest place for her to meet Amber. Blaine had arrived back from Fuchsia City before we left so Black and White stayed behind to explain the situation to him. I had on my Silph Scope on at that moment, only hoping that they were outside so I could spot them. And like a miracle, I actually did.

"Follow me!" I shouted to them, having Wiggly quickly descend towards what appeared to be a castle made of ice. Carefully touching down in front of the massive building, I pulled off my gear and turned to the others as they landed as well. Pointing to the top of the strange structure, I frowned. "They're up there."

Red grimaced and immediately started running for the doors. However, as soon as he got ten feet from them, something erupted from the ground and knocked him aside. I cried out and ran to his side to help him up. I was trying to help him stand, but we both froze at what was looming over us. A gigantic Onix stood glaring, its tail poised to strike again. It was coming down to attack so I shoved Red along and managed to get us out of the way before it crashed into the ground.

"Blasty, go!" I yelled while releasing him. Red did the same with Poli, and I turned to find that there was a second Onix facing off against Green and Silver's Golduck and Feraligatr.

"Poli, Hydro Pump!" Red shouted as our Onix started coming for us again.

The move hit it dead on, and I anxiously turned to Red. "We have to hurry before something happens to Yellow!"

"It's too late for that!" Someone chuckled loudly.

Red and I whipped our heads up to find that one of Melany's henchmen was standing on the other side of the Onix. Quickly looking towards the other enemy Pokemon, I saw the other guy standing there as well.

My teeth gritted as he laughed again. "Melany's taking care of her now as we speak!"

"No!" I yelled in fury. "Blasty, Hydro Cannon!"

He let loose a barrel of water that slammed into the Onix and almost knocked it out in one shot. Turning to Red, I shoved him away. "Go, now! I can take care of this! Go get Yellow!"

He nodded and returned Poli before running amidst the battle for the castle. He got stopped by the other Onix, but Silver and Green managed to get him out of there before it hurt him. Now he was currently stalled from getting to Yellow, but it wouldn't be long before that Onix was taken down.

Getting back to my own battle, I told Blasty to use another Hydro Cannon and hissed in frustration when it missed. The henchmen laughed and had his Pokemon attack. The Onix brought its tail down just mere feet from Blasty and me, knocking us back a few yards. Clenching my fist, I had him use Hydro Cannon one more time and grinned a little when the Rock type finally went crashing to the ground.

I was so busy indulging in my satisfaction and returning Blasty that I didn't see the other Onix heading in my direction. It knocked into the walls of the rocky hills, and my eyes widened in horror as an onslaught of boulders started rolling down the hillside for me. There wasn't enough time to call out one of my Pokemon so all I could do was wait for rockslide to crush me. The rumbling grew louder every second, and I clenched my fists in fear.

"BLUE!"

My eyes shot open, and I watched in shock as the rocks were blasted away with jets of water. Looking up, I saw Green trying to make his way to me with Golduck making sure nothing hit me. As the rockslide continued, Green gradually got closer to the point that I could reach out and touch his arm. However, just at that moment, a huge boulder made it past Golduck and was rolling straight for us. My eyes widened, and I yelped as I was suddenly shoved onto the ground. My face ate the dirt, but I immediately picked myself up in time to watch Green step in front of the rock. Golduck managed to slow it done some, but when it met with Green's braced back, he gave out a cry that echoed through the valley. The impact caused him to bend over, and he bared his teeth as he kept the weight of it from crushing me.

"Green!" I shrieked. "What in Arceus' name are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?!" He practically screamed in pain. "I'm keeping this stupid rock from killing you!"

My jaw dropped open, and I started to stand up. "Let me help you!"

"No!" This time he really did scream, and it stopped me. "You'll get hit by the other rocks! Just wait until the rockslide's over! You're safer where you are!"

I hated to admit it, but with Green holding the boulder, there _was_ a small area that was blocked out by the falling rocks. Still, it killed me to see him in pain like that. "Please, just let me—"

"No, Blue!" He shouted. Biting his lip, he managed to smirk at me. "Now do you see what's it's like to be denied?"

I stopped at that. My pause revealed that the rocks were slowing their descent, and after another minute, they were done entirely. Silence settled down again before the henchmen's Onix screeched in pain. I glanced up to see that Silver had sent Feraligatr to attack it, allowing Red to finally make a path for the ice castle. Turning back to Green's strained form, I anxiously looked to Golduck as he ran up to us. "Can you help him?"

The fatigued Pokemon nodded and braced itself against the boulder, allowing Green the chance to slip out. However, just as the brunette was making his way out from underneath, Golduck collapsed from exhaustion, pinning Green's arm beneath the rock. He let out a shout of anguish, and I wasted no time releasing Blasty and having him lift the boulder. Golduck was completely knocked out, and Green's face was twisted up in pain.

"Oh my Mew! Green!" I rushed over to him and returned Golduck and Blasty to their Pokeballs before gently helping Green sit up. He winced when I touched his shoulder, and I frowned. "Take off your jacket."

He bared his teeth lightly. "I…don't know if I can."

I set my face and slowly undid the zipper on his jacket, making sure I didn't hurt him any further. His white polo soon appeared from beneath the black material, and I lightly shrugged it off his shoulders. Lifting up the sleeve of his shirt, I could see the beginning of a massive bruise trailing from his back shoulder blade to the end of his bicep.

"How bad is it?" He asked lowly.

I bit my lip. "It's going to hurt for a while. Can you hold it up?"

He tried, but that only seemed to hurt him more. Forcing him to stop, I turned his jacket into a makeshift sling over his arm to help support it. He leaned his back on the boulder behind him, and I could feel a seed of anger grow within me. "Why wouldn't you let me help you?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I was returning the favor."

I growled a little. "That's no reason, Green!"

He growled back. "Fine! Because I couldn't stand to see you get hurt let alone crushed!" He leaned his face towards mine. "The sight of you in pain makes my blood boil, and you want to know why?! Well, it's because I—!" He voice stuttered. "I—"

I tilted my head in exasperation. "You what, Green?"

He looked up from the ground, his eyes determined. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion but stiffened in shock when he suddenly leaned forward and kissed me. I was so unprepared for it that I could only sit there frozen until he pulled away a second later.

He raised his eyebrows at me in question, and I slowly found my voice. "…Greeny _loves_ me?"

Despite having a wounded arm, he was able to face-palm but not before I saw the blush on his face. "Y-Yes, I…love you."

A grin slowly crept on my face, and I leapt to my feet in a second. "Greeny loves me! Greeny loves me!"

He groaned. "Please don't make this like the virus world. I was lucky there was nobody there to hear you then."

I giggled and helped him to his feet. As he stabilized himself, I leaned over his ear. "Thank you."

He raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

I smiled warmly at him, something I could never remember doing before. "For answering my question."

He stared at me a moment before blushing a little and looking away. "You're welcome."

Helping him walk around the scattered rocks, we went to find Silver and see how he was coping. Near the front of the castle, we found that the other Onix had been defeated, the two henchmen tied up next to them. Silver was at the ice doors, trying to find a way to unlock them.

"They won't open!" He exclaimed in frustration after trying to pry them apart.

Realizing that we had yet to rescue Yellow, I frantically called out Wiggly. "Then see if you can fly to the top!"

He released Honchcrow, and I helped Green onto Wiggly before joining him. We made our way to the roof, and the silence that met us almost killed me. In front of us was a semicircle with a nest of blue feathers next to a staircase that led down into the ice castle. On his knees in the nest was Amber, static dripping off his night black hair.

The same hair that matched the boy in front of him. Red stood motionless before him, his entire being obviously tense. Silver, Green, and I quickly dismounted and ran over to the twins who were silently staring at each other. The three of us stopped at Red's side, and said boy's frown only deepened.

"They took her," he murmured lowly, the rage unconcealed in his voice, "and left him.

My heart fell at that; it really did. I almost collapsed there on the spot.

Silver crossed his arms. "So where did they take her, Amber?"

The paralyzed boy glanced down. "I don't know to be honest. They're probably going to move headquarters now that they have her."

Green raised his eyebrows. "And how do we know you're telling the truth?"

Amber lifted his head to look him in the eye. "I wouldn't lie to you about Yellow." He shifted his gaze to Red. "Not when she means so much to you all."

Red's eyes widened, and Green scoffed. "I don't want to listen to your lies."

Amber's jaw clenched. "I swear I'm not lying."

Green's eyes hardened. "I don't want to hear it—!"

"Wait a second, Green," I said softly. Taking a step towards Amber, I looked deep into his golden-orange eyes. I remembered our meeting at the Celadon library and my "assignment" to figure out his past. "I say we listen to what he was to say."

The three other boys widened their eyes at me. "Why do you think we should we do that?" Green asked carefully.

I looked at each of them with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you know? There are two sides to every story."

Turning back to Amber, I smirked.

"And I think it's about time we heard yours."

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**Watch out for the Third Chapter of the Old Grudge Series: **

**Strike Three**

* * *

**Approximate Story Timeline: **

June 24-July 7

**Current Location and Ages: **

**Red**

Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)

Age: 16

**Yellow**

Location: Kanto Town: Unknown

Age: 15

**Green**

Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)

Age: 16

**Blue**

Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)

Age: 17

**Silver**

Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)

Age: 15

**Gold**

Location: Johto Town: New Bark

Age: 14

**Crystal**

Location: Johto Town: New Bark

Age: 15

**Emerald**

Location: Johto Town: New Bark

Age: 13

**Ruby**

Location: Sinnoh Town: Most likely Snowpoint as that is where the long travel boats dock.

Age: 14

**Sapphire**

Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.

Age: 13

**Diamond**

Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.

Age: 12

**Pearl**

Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.

Age: 12

**Platinum**

Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.

Age: 12

**Black**

Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island

Age: 14

**White**

Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island

Age: 14

**Cheren**

Location: Unova Town: Unknown

Age: 13

**Bianca**

Location: Unova Town: Unknown

Age: 14


End file.
